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A  SERIES  OF  PAMPHLETS 


ON  THE 


DOCTRINES  OFTHE  GOSPEL 


BY  THE  LATE 


ELDER    ORSON    PRATT, 

II 

One  of  the  Twelve   Apostles  of  the   Church   of  Jesus    Christ  of 
Latter-daj  Saints. 

•^■^^   OP  THT5 

PRINTED    AT   THE 

Juvenile    Instructor    Office, 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 


i^^^\^& 


PREFACE 


n^HE  labors  of  the  late  respected  aud  beloyed  Orson  Pratt, 
some  of  whose  writings  we  herewith  present  to  the  public, 
are  too  well  known  to  require  any  extended  comments  from 
us.  His  voice  has  been  heard  in  various  parts  of  the  earth 
bearing  a  faithful  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  and  in 
many  places  where  he  never  was  seen,  his  precious  writings 
have  been  perused  with  pleasure  and  profit  by  the  honest  in 
heart.  Thus  has  his  n^e  become  familiar  and  honored 
among  the  people  of  Grod. 

The  first  edition  of  his  "Works,"  published  in  England, 
have,  of  late  years,  been  very  scarce,  and  this  is  one  reason 
why  we  have  been  led  to  republish  them.  "We  trust  that  this 
book  will  find  a  place  in  every  home  and  be  studied  by  both 
old  and  young,  so  that  all  may  see  the  beauty  of  the  truths 
therein  explained. 

That  the  Spirit  of  God  may  enlighten  the  minds  of  those 
into  whose  hands  this  work  may  come  so  that  they  may  com- 
prehend and  heed  its  teachings,  and  that  Brother  Pratt, 
though  dead,  may  yet  live  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  are  the 
sincere  desires  of 

The  Publishers. 


DIVINE    AUTHORITY, 

OR  THE  QUESTION, 

WAS    JOSEPH    SMITH    SENT 
OF    GOD? 


BY      ORSON      PRATT, 

ONE     OF    THE    TWELVE    APOSTLES  OF    THE  CHURCH  OF  JESUS 
CHRIST  OF  LATTER-DAY  SAINTS. 


A  FEW  days  since,  Mrs.  Pratt  and  myself,  together  with 
some  others,  were  kindly  invited  to  take  tea  with  a  very 
respectable  gentleman  of  this  town  (Liverpool),  who,  though 
not  connected  with  our  Church,  yet  was,  with  his  family 
sincerely  enquiring  after  the  truth.  They  seemed  to  be  fully 
convinced  in  relation  to  the  most  important  features  of  our 
doctrine,  and  were  desirous  of  extending  their  investigations 
still  further.  We  hope  that  their  researches  may  happily 
result  in  a  full  conviction  of  the  truth,  and  that  they  may 
obtain  that  certainty,  so  much  to  be  desired,  as  to  the  divine 
authority  of  the  great  and  important  message  now  revealed 
from  heaven — a  message  which  must  assurdly  prove  a  savor  of 


8  DIVINE  AUTHORiry,    OR, 

life  or  death  to  the  generations  now  living.  This  message  is 
beginning  to  awake  the  attention  of  the  honest,  .virtuous  and 
upright  among  all  classes  of  society.  They  seem  to  be  aroused 
from  the  slumber  of  ages. 

A  message  of  simple  truth,  when  sent  from  God — when 
published  by  divine  authority,  through  divinely  inspired  men, 
penetrates  the  mind  like  a  sharp  two-edged  sword,  and  cuts 
asunder  the  deeply-rooted  prejudices,  the  iron-bound  sinews  of 
ancient  error  and  tradition,  made  sacred  by  age  and  rendered 
popular  by  human  wisdom.  It  severs  with  undeviating  exact- 
ness between  truth  and  falsehood — between  the  doctrine  of 
Christ  and  the  doctrines  of  men ;  it  levels  with  the  most  per- 
fect ease  every  argument  that  human  learning  may  array 
against  it.  Opinions,  creeds  invented  by  uninspired  men,  and 
doctrines  originated  in  schools  of  divinity,  all  vanish  like 
the  morning  dew — all  sink  into  insignificance  when  compared 
with  a  message  direct  from  heaven.  Such  a  message  shines 
upon  the  understanding  like  the  splendors  of  the  noon-day 
sun;  it  whispers  in  the  ears  of  mortals,  saying,  "This  is  the 
way,  walk  ye  in  it."  Certainty  and  assurance  are  its  constant 
companions;  it  is  entirely  unlike  all  plans  or  systems  ever 
invented  by  human  authority,  it  has  no  alliance,  connection  or 
fellowship  with  any  of  them  ;  it  speaks  with  divine  authority, 
and  all  nations,  without  an  exception,  are  required  to  obey. 
He  that  receives  the  message  and  endures  to  the  end  will  be 
saved;  he  that  rejects  it  will  be  damned.  It  matters  not  what 
his  former  righteousness  may  have  been — none  can  be 
excused. 

As  a  specimen  of  the  anxious  inquiry  which  now  pervades 
the  minds  of  many  in  relation  to  this  Church,  we  publish  the 
following  extract  from  a  letter,  which  was  kindly  read  to  us 
during  our  afore-mentioned  visit,  by  the  gentleman  who 
received  it  from  his  friend  in  London.  We  were  struck  with 
the  apparent  candor,  the  sound  judgment,  and  the  corrects  con- 
clusions of  the  author  of  the  letter,  and  earnestly  solicited  the 
privilege  of  publishing  it.  Permission  was  granted  on  condi- 
tion that  we  would  withhold  names.  We  here  present  it  to  our 
readers,  and  shall  endeavor,  in  the  same  spirit  of  candor,  to 
answer  the  all-important  inquiries  contained  in  it. 


Was  JOSEPH  SMITH  SENT  OlP  GOD?  9 

July  15th  1848. 

My  Dear  Sir:— I  have  been  expecting,  time  after  time,  to 
be  able  to  return  you  the  "Letters"  you  so  kindly  left  with 
me.     As  I  informed  you  in  my  last,  I  cursorily  read  through 

the  letters,  and  then  handed  the.book  to  Mr. .       With 

him  it  is  at  the  present  time.  The  impression  made  thereby 
on  his  mind  is  very  remarkable,  and  he  requests  me  to  inform 
you,  that  if  you  will  allow  him,  he  means  to  keep  the  book, 
if  you  will  please  to  let  him  know  the  price  thereof  He  and 
1  concur  in  our  views  of  "Mormonism"  at  present.  Do  you 
inquire  what  those  views  are  ?  I  will  th«n  proceed  to  state  them . 
We  consider  that  the  proofs  which  "Mormonism"  gives  of  the 
apostasy  are,  without  question,  clear  and  demonstrative;  we 
entirely  concur  also  in  the  personal  appearance  and  reign  of 
our  Lord ;  we  are  persuaded  that  all  the  preachers  and  teachers 
of  the  day  are  without  authority — that  their  teachings  and 
interpretations  are  uncertain  as  to  the  truth — that  the  transla- 
tions of  the  scripture,  being  done  without  inspiration,  are  also 
uncertain.  All  is  uncertain  !  melancholy  thought !  a  deplora- 
ble picture  but  a  true  one! — the  different  teachers  doing  the 
best  they  can!— all  jarring — all  contending!  The  result — 
division,  multiplied  division !  And  they  have  a  right  if  they 
think  proper  to  divide  from  an  authority  merely  human.  But  their 
multiplied  division  is  a  multiplied  proof  that  they  are  wrong — 
that  they  are  without  that  spirit  who  guides  into  truth,  and 
truth,  is  ONE. 

My  dear  sir,  the  Saints  have  made  out  a  strong  and 
irrefragable  case  to  show  that  "authority  to  teach"  is  nowhere, 
if  not  with  them  ;  but  the  proposition  that  they  have  author- 
ity to  teach^  ^  interpret,  etc. ,  is  one  that  at  present  does  not 

create  a  conviction  in  Mr. or  my  mind.     We  admit  that 

it  is  very  reasonable  to  suppose  that,  under  such  circumstances, 
God  would  raise  up  and  send  one  invested  with  authority. 
Whether  Joseph  Smith  was  such  a  one  is  the  all-important 
question.  I  also  admit,  that  so  far  as  I  am  acquainted  with 
his  history,  there  is  something  very  remarkable  about  him ; 
perhaps  I  should  be  fully  convinced  if  I  were  more  fully  read 
in  writings  relating  to  him.  I  wish  I  lived  near  to  you,  and 
then  I  would  read  more  fully  on  the  subject;  I  confess  my 
mind  is  much  concerned  to  arrive  at  a  clear  conclusion  upon 
the  point. 

Mr. wishes  you,  if  you  will  be  so  good,  to  select  a  few 

books  that  you  think  clearly  prove  the  divine  mission  of  Joseph 
Smith,  and  send  them  in  a  parcel  to  him  with  the  prices ;  he 
will  feel  much  obliged,  and  will  send  you  a  post-office  order  for 
the  amount;  he  believes  j^our  selection  will  be  a  judicious  one. 
I  have  heard  Mr.   Banks  twice  sinde  I  saw  you,  and  other 


lO  DIVINE  AUTHORITY,    OR, 

individual  teachers  also.  Thefe  is  much  in  their  public  services 
I  approve.  I  am  struck  with  the  simplicity  of  their  celebra- 
tion of  the  ordinances.  *  *  One  result  of  my  conversation 
with  you  and  Banks,  and  perusing  the  letters,  is,  that  I  can  be 
no  longer  connected  with  any  sect.  So  far  as  I  see,  1  can  with- 
out difficulty  confound  in  argument — plain  scriptural  argument 
— any  into  whose  company  I  am  at  any  time  thrown.  The 
Methodist  system  I  am  convinced  is  the  worst,  because  its  pre- 
tensions are  highest.  I  stand,  therefore,  fully  alone.  I  declare 
I  should  be  glad  to  be  convinced  that  "Mormonism"  is  what  it 
professes  to  be ;  1  would  join  it  to-day  if  my  mind  could  be 
convinced  that  its  Elders  had  authority  to  baptize  me  for  the 
remission  of  sins,  and  Jay  hands  on  me  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  These  sacred  ordinances  I  would  obey  gladly,  if  I 
knew  men  having  authority  to  administer  them.  To  have 
these  ordinances  administered  without  divine  authority  is  mere 
child's  play.  Thus  you  see  my  position.  A  Methodist  leader, 
an  old  friend,  said  to  me  the  other  day,  "Are  you  connected 
with  the  church  of  Christ  now? — I  hear  you  are  not  with  us 
now."  1  answered,  Where  is  the  church  of  Christ?"  He 
replied  it  is  found  among  the  different  sects.  1  then  inquired, 
"Are  you  in  the  church  of  Christ?  for  if  you  are,  you  must 
be  a  member  of  all  the  sects."  This  rather  puzzled  him.  I 
then  asked  him  "Show  me  the  sect  that  resembles  the  church  at 
the  beginning;  does  any  one  of  them,  or  do  they  all  put 
together  resemble  the  church  at  the  beginning?"  He  said 
certainly  not.  I  enquired  why  not.  He  was  shrewd  enough 
to  be  silent  and  to  see  that  his  own  mouth  must  condemn  his 
sect  and  all  the  sects.  Observe,  in  the  absence  of  the  spirit, 
men  must  do  as  well  as  they  can.  This  1  am  trying  to  do,  only 
I  confess  that  I  am  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked,  bereft  of  the 
glory  of  the  certainty  of  the  authority  and  truth  of  the  church 
of  Christ.  The  sects,  however,  are  satisfied,  though  "poor, 
filind,  and  naked,"  to  boast  of  increase  of  goods,  chapels, 
rich  friends,  preachers,  etc. ,  etc.  So  much  for  my  present 
views  and  standing.  I  suppose  by  this  time  you  have  acted  on 
your  convictions,  and  are  joined  to  the  Saints  ;  in  all  honesty 
you  ought,  I  confess.  The  moment  the  conviction  that  divine 
authority  and  certainty  of  teaching  is  with  them,  that  moment 
will  I  join  them.     *    *    ^^    Farewell.     My  respectful  regards 

to  Mrs. ,  and  ever  believe  me,  my  dear  sir,  yours  very 

truly,  . 

First.— The  author  of  the  above  letter  has  carefully 
examined  the  present  state  of  the  world,  and  declares  himself 
fully  convinced  of  the  awful  apostasy  which  now  so  unifrersally 
prevails.  He  unhesitatingly  admits  that  all  authority  to  teach 
— to  administer  ordinances — to  build  up  the  church   of  Christ, 


WAS  JOSEPH  SMITH  SENT  OF   GOD?  11 

has  entirely  ceased  from  the  earth— that  "all  is  uncertain." 
He  also  admits  that  "it  is  very  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
under  such  circumstances,  God  would  raise  up  and  send  one 
invested  with  authority.  Whether  Joseph  Smith  was  such  a 
one  is  the  all-important  question."  Yes,  indeed,  it  is  an 
important  question,  and  one  that  involves  the  fate  of  the 
present  generation.  If  Joseph  Smith  was  not  sent  of  God, 
this  Church  cannot  be  the  Church  of  God,  and  the  tens  of 
thousands  who  have  been  baptized  into  this  Church  are  yet  in 
their  sins,  and  no  better  off  than  the  millions  that  have  gone 
before  them.  71ie  form,  without  the  power  and  authority,  is 
no  better  than  the  hundreds  of  human  forms  that  have  no 
resemblance  to  the  ancient  pattern ;  indeed,  it  is  more  danger- 
ous, because  better  calculated  to  deceive.  Other  churches  do 
not  profess  to  have  inspired  apostles,  prophets,  prophetesses, 
evangelists,  etc. ,  hence  we  know,  if  the  New  Testament  be 
true,  that  they  cannot  be  the  church  of  God.  But  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  profess  to  have  all  these  officers  and  gifts  among 
them,  and  profess  to  have  authority  to  administer  in  every 
form,  ordinance  and  blessing  of  the  ancient  church;  hence  we 
know,  that  so  far  as  the  officers,  doctrines,  ordinances,  and  cere- 
monies are  evidence,  this  Church  can  exhibit  a  perfect  pattern. 
In  these  things,  then,  both  ancient  and  modern  Saints  are 
exactly  alike.  By  the  New  Testament  then  we  cannot  be  con- 
demned. 

If  the  Latter-day  Saints  are  not  what  they  profess  to  be, 
one  thing  is  certain,  that  no  one  ever  will  be  able  to  confute 
their  doctrine  by  the  scriptures ;  however,  imperfect  the  people 
may  be,  their  doctrine  is  infallible.  Can  this  be  said  of  any 
other  people  who  have  existed  on  the  eastern  hemisphere 
during  the  last  1700  years?  No.  Their  doctrines  have  been 
a  heterogenous  mixture  of  truth  and  error,  that  would  not 
stand  the  test  one  moment  when  measured  by  a  pattern  of 
inspiration ;  some  disparity  could  be  seen  and  pointed  out — 
some  deviation  either  in  the  organization  or  in  the  ordinances 
of  the  gospel  could  be  shown  to  exist.  And  now  after  so  many 
centuries  have  elapsed,  and  when  human  wisdom  has  been 
exerted  to  its  utmost  strength,  and  the  most  exalted  and  gigan- 
tic talents  displayed  to  lay  a  stable  foundation  whereon  tq 


12  DIVINE  AUTHORITY,  OR, 

build,  we  awake  and  behold  all  an  empty  bubble — a  vain  show 
— a  phantom  of  man's  creation,  with  scarcely  a  vestige  of  the 
ancient  ./brm,  to  say  nothing  of  the  power.  In  the  midst  of  all 
this  thick  darkness,  a  young,  illiterate,  obscure  and  inexperi- 
enced man  announces  a  message  from  heaven,  before  which 
darkness  flees  away ;  human  dogmas  are  overturned ;  the  tradi- 
tions of  ages  are  uprooted ;  all  forms  of  church  government 
tremble  like  an  aspen  leaf  at  its  approach,  and  the  mighty 
fabric  of  popular  sectarianism  is  convulsed  and  shaken  to  its 
very  foundation.  How  happens  all  this  ?  If  Joseph  Smith 
were  an  impostor,  whence  his  superior  wisdom?  What  power 
inspired  his  mind  in  laying  the  foundation  of  a  church  accord- 
ing to  the  ancient  order?  How  could  an  impostor  so  far  sur- 
pass the  combined  wisdom  of  seventeen  centuries  as  to  origin- 
ate a  system  diverse  from  every  other  system  under  heaven, 
and  yet  harmonize  with  the  system  of  Jesus  and  His  apostles 
in  every  particular?  What!  an  impostor  discover  the  gross 
darkness  of  ages,  and  publish  a  doctrine  perfect  in  every 
respect,  against  which  not  one  scriptural  argument  'Can  be 
adduced !  The  idea  is  perposterous  !  The  2Jurity  and  infal- 
libility of  the  doctrine  of  this  great  modem  prophet  is  a  pre- 
sumptive evidence  of  no  small  moment  in  favor  of  his  divine 
mission. 

We  do  not  pretend  that  a  perfect  doctrine  is  an  infallihle 
evidence  in  favor  of  the  divine  authority  of  the  one  who 
teaches  it.  We  can  conceive  it  possible,  though  not  probable, 
for  a  man  to  teach  a  doctrine  unmixed  with  error,  and  yet  be 
without  authority  to  administer  its  ordinances.  Swedenborg, 
Irving  and  many  others,  taught,  doctrines  in  some  respects 
true,  in  other  respects  false :  hence  their  authority  should  be 
rejected,  even  though  they  should  perform  miracles.  We  have 
no  examples  on  the  records  of  history,  of  a  doctrine  perfect  in 
every  respect,  being  taught  by  any  person  or  persons,  unless 
they  were  inspired  with  divine  authority.  If  Joseph  Smith 
taught  a  doctrine  in  any  respect  false,  he  should  be  rejected  as 
an  impostor,  though  he  should,  like  the  magicians  of  Egypt, 
turn  rivers  of  water  into  blood,  or  create  frogs  in  abundance, 
or  even  raise  the  dead  like  the  witch  of  Endor.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  he  taught  a  true  and  perfect  doctrine,  he  might  be 


WAS  JOSEPH  SMITH  SENT  OF  GOD?  13 

sent  of  Grod,  though  he  himself  should  perform  no  miracle, 
like  John  the  Baptist,  or  the  Prophet  Noah,  or  many  other 
prophets  of  the  Old  Testament. 

In  ancient  times,  many  great  prophets  were  sent  of  God,  and 
we  have  no  record  of  their  doing  miracles,  yet  their  respective 
messages  were  of  infinite  importance,  and  could  not  be  rejected 
without  condemnation.  Where  is  there  a  man,  no  matter  how 
great  his  attainments,  that  can  show  Mr.  Smith's  doctrine  to 
be  false?  Did  the  ancient  saints  teach  baptism  to  the  penitent 
believer  for  the  remission  of  sins?  So  did  Mr.  Smith.  Did 
they  teach  the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit?  So  did  Mr.  Smith.  Did  the  former-day  saints  teach 
that  apostles,  prophets,  evangelists,  pastors,  teachers,  deacons, 
bishops,  elders,  etc. ,  all  inspired  of  God,  were  necessary  in  the 
church?  'So  did  Mr.  Smith.  Did  the  ancient  saints  teach 
that  dreams,  visions,  new  revelations,  ministering  of  angels, 
healings,  tongues,  interpretations,  and  all  other  spiritual  gifts 
were  necessary  in  the  church?  So  did  this  modern  prophet. 
Where,  then,  is  the  discrepancy  between  the  ancient  and 
modern  teachings?  Nowhere.  The  teaching  of  the  one  is  as 
perfect  as  the  other;  and  we  again  assert  that  this  perfect 
coincidence  in  teaching,  in  every  point,  is  a  strong  presumptive 
evidence  that  Mr.  Smith  was  sent  of  God. 

Second. — In  what  manner  does  Joseph  Smith  declare  that 
a  dispensation  of  the  gospel  was  committed  unto  him?  He 
testifies  that  an  angel  of  God,  whose  name  was  Moroni, 
appeared  unto  him ;  that  this  angel  was  formerly  an  ancient 
prophet  among  a  remnant  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph  on  the  con- 
tinent of  America.  He  testifies  that  Moroni  revealed  unto  him 
where  he  deposited  the  sacred  records  of  his  nation  some  four- 
teen hundred  years  ago;  that  these  records  contained  the 
"everlasting  gospel"  as  it  was  anciently  taught  and  recorded 
by  this  branch  of  Israel.  He  gave  Mr.  Smith  power  to  reveal 
the  contents  of  those  records  to  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Now 
how  does  this  testimony  of  Joseph  Smith  agree  with  the  book 
of  John's  prophecy  given  on  the  Isle  of  Patmos?  John  testi- 
fies that  when  the  dispensation  of  the  gospel  is  again  committed 
to  the  nations,  it  shall  be  through  the  medium  of  an  angel 
from  heaven.    Joseph  Smith  testifies  that  a  dispensation  of  the 


14  .        DIVINE  AUTHORITY,  OR, 

gospel  for  all  nations  has  been  committed  to  him  by  an  angel. 
The  one  uttered  the  prediction ;  the  other  testifies  its  fulfill- 
ment. Though  Mr.  Smith  had  taught  a  perfect  doctrine,  yet 
if  he  had  testified  that  his  doctine  was  not  restored  by  an  angel, 
all  would  at  once  have  known  him  to  be  an  impostor.  How 
came  Mr.  Smith,  if  an  impostor,  to  not  only  discover  a  perfect 
doctrine,  but  also  to  discover  the  precise  medium  through 
which  that  doctrine  should  be  restored  to  the  earth?  Did 
Swedenborg,  Irving,  Wesley,  or  any  other  person,  not  only 
teach  a  pure  system,  but  at  the  same  time  did  they  declare 
that  it  was  committed  to  them  by  an  angel  from  heaven  ?  If 
not,  however  pure  and  holy  their  teaching,  they  were  not 
divinely  authorized  to  administer  in  ordinances.  If  Mr.  Smith 
had  professed  to  have  accidentally  discovered  those  records,  and 
that  he  was  inspired  to  reveal  their  contents  through  the  Urim 
and  Thummim  ;  or  if  he  had  professed  to  have  received  a 
message  of  the  gospel  through  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  or  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  or  in  any  other  way  but 
that  of  the  ministering  of  an  angel,  we  should,  without  further 
inquiry,  have  known  him  to  be  without  authority.  How  came 
Mr.  Smith,  if  a  deceiver,  to  think  of  all  this?  Did  Martin 
Luther,  Wesley,  Whitfield,  Swedenborg,  or  Irving  think  of 
this?  Whence  his  superior  intellect — his  depth  of  under- 
standing— his  extensive  foresight — that  he  should  so  far  sur- 
pass all  former  impostors  for  1700  years?  John  testifies  that 
when  the  everlasting  gospel  is  restored  to  the  earth  it  shall  be 
by  an  angel.  Mr.  Smith  testifies  that  it  was  restored  by  an 
<ni(j(l,  and  in  no  other  way.  This  is  another  presmptwe 
ecu /('lice  that  he  was  sent  of  God. 

Third. — A  revelation  and  restoration  to  the  earth  of  the 
everlasting  gospel  through  the  angel  Moroni  would  be  of  no 
benefit  to  the  nations,  unless  some  one  should  be  ordained  with 
authoriry  to  preach  it  and  administer  its  ordinances.  Moroni 
might  reveal  a  book  containing  a  beautiful  and  glorious  system 
of  salvation,  but  no  one  could  obey  even  its  first  principles 
without  a  legally  authorized  administrator,  ordained  to  preachy 
baptize,  lay  on  hands  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Grhost,  etc.  Did 
Moroni  ordain  Mr.  Smith  to  the  apostleship,  and  command 
him  to  administer  ordinances?    No,  he  did  not.     But  why  not 


WAS  JOSEPH  SMITH  SENT  OP  GOB?  15 

confer  authority  by  ordination,  as  well  as  reveal  the  everlasting 
gospel?  Because  in  all  probability  he  had  not  the  right  so  to 
do.  All  angels  have  not  the  same  authority — they  do  not  all 
hold  the  same  keys.  Moroni  was  a  prophet,  but  we  have  no 
account  of  his  holding  the  office  of  an  apostle ;  and  if  not,  he 
had  no  right  to  ordain  Mr.  Smith  to  an  office  which  he  himself 
never  possessed.  He  no  doubt  went  as  far  as  he  was  author- 
ised, and  that  was  to  reveal  the  "stick  of  Ephraim" — the 
record  of  his  fathers  containing  the  "everlasting  gospel."  How 
then  did  Mr.  Smith  obtain  the  office  of  an  apostle,  if  Moroni 
had  no  authority  to  ordain  him  to  such  office?  Mr.  Smith 
testifies  that  Peter,  James  and  John  came  to  him  in  the  capa- 
city of  ministering  angels,  and  by  the  laying  on  of  hands 
ordained  him  an  apostle,  and  commanded  him  to  preach,  bap- 
tize, lay  on  hands  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Grhost,  and  admin- 
ister all  other  ordinances  of  the  gospel  as  they  themselves  did 
in  ancient  days.  Did  Swedenborg — did  Irving' s  apostles — or 
did  any  other  impostors  during  the  lon^  age  of  darkness — pro- 
fess that  the  apostleship  was  conferred  upon  them  by  those 
who  held  it  last — by  any  angel  who  held  the  office  himself? 
No:  and  therefore  they  are  not  apostles,  but  deceivers.  If 
Mr.  Smith  had  pretended  that  he  received  the  apostleship  by 
the  revelation  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  without  an  ordination  under 
the  hands  of  an  apostle,  we  should  at  once  know  that  his  pre- 
tensions were  vain,  and  that  he  was  a  deceiver.  If  an  impostor, 
how  came  Mr,  Smith  to  discover  this?  Why  did  he  not,  like 
the  Irvingites,  assume  the  apostleship  without  an  apostle  to 
ordain  him?  How  came  he  to  possess  so  much  more 
wisdom  than  Irving,  as  to  discover  that  he  could  not  be  an  apostle 
without  being  ordained  under  the  hands  of  an  apostle  ?  If  Mr. 
Smith  be  a  false  apostle,  it  must  be  confessed  that  he  has 
exhibited  far  more  judgment  than  all  the  false  apostles  who 
have  preceded  him,  learned  and  talented  as  they  were.  Is  not 
this  another  presumptive  evidence  of  Joseph  Smith's  divine 
mission?  Such  a  correctness  upon  matters  of  so  great  a 
moment,  and  upon  subjects  on  which  millions  have  heretofore 
erred,  indicates  something  more  than  human — it  indicates 
inspiration  of  the  Almighty.  The  purity  of  Mr.  Smith's  doc- 
trine— the  perfect  coincidence  of  his  testiipony  with  that  of 


16  DIVINE  AUTHORITY,    OR, 

John's,  in  relation  to  the  manner  of  the  restoration  of  the 
everlasting  Grospel  to  the  earth,  and  the  consistency  of  his 
testimony  in  relation  to  the  manner  of  the  restoration  of  the 
apostleship,  are  strong  presumptive  evidences  that  beautifully 
harmonize  with  and  strengthen  each  other;  the  evidence  is 
therefore  accumulative,  and  increases  with  every  additional 
condition  or  circumstance  in  a  multiplied  ratio,  and  seems 
almost  irresistibly,  to  force  conviction  upon  the  mind. 

Fourth. — Joseph  Smith  not  only  professes,  through  the 
medium  of  angels,  to  have  received  a  dispensation  of  the  gos- 
pel, and  the  power  and  authority  of  the  apostleship,  but  he 
also  professes  to  have  received  through  revelation  and  com- 
mandment  from  Grod,  a  dispensation  for  the  gathering  of  the 
Saints  from  all  nations.  Now  the  doctrine  of  the  gathering  of 
the  Saints  in  the  last  days  must  either  be /afee  or  ^rwe;  if  false, 
then  Joseph  Smith  must  be  an  impostor.  It  matters  not  how  cor- 
rect he  may  have  been  in  all  other  points  of  his  system,  if  this 
one  point — the  doctrine^of  the  gathering  be  false,  he  must  be  a 
deceiver.  Why?  Because  he  professes  to  have  received  tlm 
doctrine  by  direct  revelation  and  commandment.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  the  doctrine  of  the  gathering  of  the  Saints  be  a  true 
doctrine  and  scriptural,  this  will  be  another  presumptive  evi- 
dence that  Mr.  Smith  was  sent  of  Grod. 

Now  a  doctrine  may  be  true  and  not  be  scriptural;  as  for 
example,  Newton's  doctrine  or  law  of  universal  gravitation  is  a 
true  doctrine,  but  not  a  scriptural  one ;  that  is,  it  can  neither 
be  proved  nor  disproved  by  the  scriptures.  So,  Noah's  doc- 
trine of  gathering  into  an  ark — Lot's  doctrine  of  fleeing  out  of 
Sodom — Christ's  doctrine  to  depart  out  of  Jerusalem  and  flee 
to  the  mountains  to  escape  destruction,  were  all  true;  but 
neither  of  them  could  be  proved  or  disproved  by  any  scripture 
given  to  any  of  the  former  prophets.  So  likewise  Mr.  Smith's 
doctrine  of  the  gathering  of  the  Saints  in  the  last  days  might 
be  true,  even  though  there  should  be  no  former  scripture  that 
predicted  such  an  event;  but  in  this  case  such  a  doctrine  would 
be  no  evidence  that  Mr.  Smith,  who  advocated  it,  was  sent  of 
God ;  but  if  such  a  doctrine  can  be  proved  to  be  a  scriptural 
doctrine,  that  is,  if  the  gathering  of  the  Saints  was  predicted 
in  ancient  scriptures  as  an  event  to  take  place  in  a  certain  age, 


WAS  JOSEPH  SMITH  SENT  OF  GOD?  17 

in  a  certain  way,  and  through  certain  means,  and  Mr.  Smith 
comes  in  that  age^  professing  to  have  a  message  to  gather  the 
Saints  in  such  tcay^  and  by  such  means  as  the  scriptures  have 
foretold,  then  the  exact  and  perfect  agreement  between  the 
professed  message  of  Mr.  Smith,  and  the  scriptural  predictions 
relating  to  such  a  message  or  work,  would  be  a  presumptive 
evidence  of  great  weight  in  favor  of  his  divine  mission. 

The  doctrine  of  the  gathering  of  the  people  of  God,  includ- 
ing Israel,  is  one  so  clearly  predicted  by  the  inspired  writers, 
that  it  seems  almost  superfluous  to  refer  to  the  numerous 
passages  relating  to  it.  The  dispensation  in  which  the  people 
of  God  were  to  be  gathered  in  one,  is  called  by  the  apostle 
Paul,  "the  dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times;"  which  he 
represents  as  being  an  event  then  in  the  future.  John,  nearly 
one  hundred  years  after  the  birth  of  our  Savior,  saw  the  won- 
derful events  and  sceneries  of  unborn  generations  displayed  in 
majestic  and  awful  grandeur  before  him.  He  saw  the  churches 
of  Asia,  then  under  his  own  personal  watch-care,  lukewarm, 
corrupted,  and  about  ready  to  be  moved  out  of  their  place. 
He  saw  the  universal  apostasy  that  was  soon  to  succeed  and 
hold  dominion  for  ages  over  all  kindred  and  tongues,  under  the 
name  of  the  Mother  of  Harlots— the  great  Babylon  that  should 
make  all  nations  drunk  with  her  wickedness.  He  saw  that 
after  the  nations  had  been  thus  overwhelmed  in  thick  darkness 
for  ages,  without  the  church  of  God,  without  apostles,  without 
prophets,  without  the  ministering  of  angels,  without  one  cheer- 
ing message  from  heaven,  that  there  would  be  one  more  pro- 
clamation of  mercy  made  to  all  people — one  more  dispen- 
sation of  glad  tidings  from  the  heavens,  to  be  ushered  in  by  an 
angel  restoring  the  everlasting  gospel,  which  was  to  receive  a 
universal  proclamation  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  fol- 
lowed with  a  loud  cry,  that  the  hour  of  Gods  jugdment  is 
come.  He  saw  the  universal  proclamation  of  this  warning 
message  immediately  folWed  by  another  angel,  proclaming 
the  complete  overthrow  and  downfall  of  Babylon.  Between 
the  interval  of  the  flying  of  these  two  angels,  he  "heard 
another  voice  from  heaven,  saying.  Come  out  of  her ^  my  people, 
that  ye  be  not  partakers  of  her  sins,  and  that  ye  receive  not  of 
her  piques.    For  her  sins  have  reached  unto  heaven,  and  God 


18  DIVINE  AUTHORITY,    OR, 

hath  remebered  her  iniquities."  Remember,  that  this  voice, 
commanding  the  people  to  come  out  of  Babylon,  was  to  be  a 
"voice  from  heaven."  It  was  not  to  be  a  cunningly  devised 
plan  of  uninspired  man,  brought  about  by  human  ingenuity, 
but  it  was  to  be  a  voice  from  heaven — a  message  sent  from 
God — a  new  revelation,  commanding  the  Saints  to  come  out  of 
Babylon  previous  to  its  downfall.  How  came  Mr.  Smith,  if  an 
impostor,  to  get,  not  only  all  the  other  particulars  which  we 
have  mentioned,  perfectly  exact,  but  also  to  discover  that  there 
must  be  a  gathering  of  the  Saints  out  of  Babylon,  and  that 
that  work  must  immediately  follow  the  introduction  of  the 
gospel  by  an  angel?  Why  did  he  not  say,  my  doctrine  is  true, 
and  if  you  will  embrace  it  you  can  be  saved,  and  still  remain 
where  you  are?  It  matters  not  how  correct  this  doctrine  might 
have  been  in  all  other  points,  if  he  had  told  his  disciples  to 
remain  among  the  corrupt  nations,  and  not  gather  together — 
this  alone  would  have  exposed  the  cloven  foot,  and  proved  him 
to  be  a  deceiver.  Swedenborg,  Wesley,  Irving  and  a  numerous 
host  of  others,  during  the  last  seventeen  hundred  years,  have 
entirely  neglegted  the  gathering,  which  proves  that  they  were 
without  authority — that  a  dispensation  of  the  gospel  was  never 
committed  to  them — that  the  voice  from  heaven  to  come  out 
of  Babylon  had  never  saluted  their  ears.  Previous  to  the 
restoration  of  the  goi^pel  by  an  angel,  God  had  no  people  in 
Babylon,  and  therefore  he  could  not  call  them  out.  An 
unauthorized  uninspired  priesthood,  preaching  a  perverted 
gospel,  never  could  raise  up  a  people  of  God  in  Babylon ;  for 
they  themselves  are  Babylon,  and  all  their  converts  or  children 
are  begotten  after  their  own  likeness  with  Babylonish  inscrip- 
tions upon  their  foreheads.  It  is  only  when  the  gospel,  apostle- 
ship,  and  power  are  again  restored  in  the  way  and  manner  pre- 
dicted, that  a  people  of  God  can  be  raised  up  among  the 
nations.  It  is  then,  and  not  till  then,  Jbhat  the  voice  is  heard 
from  heaven,  calling  that  people  out  from  among  the  nations. 
Mr.  Smith  did  not  forget  this.  It  is  marvellously  strange, 
indeed,  that  he  should  be  an  impostor,  and  yet  embrace  in  his 
system  every  particular  that  was  to  characterize  the  great  dis- 
pensation of  the  latter  times.  It  matters  not  how  diverse  the 
points  of  his  doctrine  were  to  the  popular  current  amoBg  the 


WAS  JOSEPH  SMITH  SENT  OF  GtOD?i^v^<3/  fclA'n'^\ 

great  modern  systems  of  religion.     He  seems  to  ha^    *  '  ^^ 

duced  his  system  without  paying  the  least  regard  as  to  what 
would  be  popular  or  unpopular-^as  to  whether  it  would  suit 
the  learned  or  the  unlearned — as  to  whether  it  would  suit  the 
temporal  circumstances  of  man  or  not.  He  did  not  stop  to 
make  the  inquiry  whether  the  gathering  of  the  Saints  would 
be  congenial  to  the  feelings  of  those  who  occupied  splendid 
mansions,  upon  fine  farms,  surrounded  with  every  luxury  of 
life.  He  did  not  stop  to  consider  any  of  those  things,  but 
spoke  as  one  having  authority;  saying,  "thus  saith  the  Lord," 
upon  every  point  of  doctrine  which  he  promulgated.  Now,  for 
a  young  man,  inexperienced  and  illiterate,  to  profess  to  give 
the  word  of  the  Lord  upon  subjects  of  so  great  a  moment — to 
reveal  doctrines  which  were  directly  opposed,  not  only  to  his 
own  traditions,  but  to  the  teachings  and  doctrines  of  the  most 
popular,  numerous,  and  powerful  sects  of  the  day,  and  at  the 
same  time  have  those  doctrines  exactly  accord,  not  only  with 
the  ancient  gospel,  but  with  every  minute  prediction  relative  to 
theldispensation  of  the  last  days,  is  an  evidence  that  carries  truth 
upon  the  face  of  it,  and  leaves  a  deep  and  lasting  impression 
upon  every  reflecting  mind,  and  we  can  hardly  refrain  from 
assenting  in  our  hearts,  that  surely  he  must  have  been  sent  of 
God. 

Fifth.— What  else  besides  the  "everlasting  gospel"  does  the 
Book  of  Mormon  profess  to  contain?  It  professes  to  contain  a 
.brief  but  faithful  history  of  a  small  branch,  of  the  ti^ibe  of 
Joseph,  and  the  revelations  given  to  them  both  before  and  after 
Christ,  written  by  a  succession  of  prophets  who  were  the  literal 
descendants  of  Joseph ;  hence  it  professes  to  be,  in  the  full 
sense  of  the  word,  the  ivritings  or  records  of  the  tribe  of 
Joseph.  It  contains  numerous  and  pointed  predictions,  show- 
ing expressly  that  the  age  in  which  their  records  should,  by  the  ' 
power  of  Grod,  be  revealed  to  the  nations,  should  also  be  the 
day  in  which  Israel  should  be  gathered ;  and  that  their  records 
in  conjunction  with  the  records  of  the  Jews,  should  be  the  power- 
ful instruments  in  the  hands  of  the  servants  of  God  in  bring- 
ing about  that  great  work.  Now,  how  does  this  accord  with 
the  word  of  the  Lord  to  Ezekiel  upon  the  same  subject? 
Ezekiel  was  commanded  to  write   upon  two  sticks,  one  for 


20  DIVINE  AtlTHORITr,   Oft, 

Judali  and  the  other  for  Joseph;  after  which  he  was  com- 
manded to  join  them  together  into  one.  And  when  the  children 
of  Israel  should  make  inquiry  what  these  two  united  writings 
of  Judah  and  Joseph  meant,  he  was  to  say  unto  them,  that 
the  Lord  God  would  join  the  writings  of  Joseph  with  those  of 
Judah ;  immediately  after  which  He  would  take  the  children 
of  Israel  from  among  the  heathen,  whither  they  were  gone, 
and  would  gather  them  on  every  side,  and  bring  them  into 
their  own  land :  and  that  He  would  make  them  one  nation  in 
the  land  upon  the  mountains  ^f  Israel ;  and  that  one  king 
should  be  king  to  them  all ;  and  that  they  should  no  more  be 
two  nations  or  kingdoms.  Ezekiel  testifies  that  the  writings  of 
Joseph  should  be  joined  with  the  writings  (>f  Judah.  Mr. 
Smith  presents  this  generation  with  a  book,  consisting  of 
several  hundred  pages,  professing  to  be  the  sacred  writings  of 
the  inspired  prophets  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph,  who  anciently 
inhabited  the  great  western  hemisphere.  Ezekiel  testifies  that 
Israel  should  be  gathered,  never  again  to  be  scattered,  imme- 
diately after  the  union  of  these  two  records.  The  professed 
record  of  Joseph,  brought  to  light  by  Mr.  Smith,  testifies  in 
the  most  positive  language,  that  this  is  the  age  in  which  Israel 
shall  be  gathered  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  word  and 
power  of  Grod,  contained  in  the  two  records.  Ezekiel  uttered 
the  prediction.  Mr.  Smith  presents  a  professed  fulfillment. 
This  is  another  presumptive  evidence  in  favor  of  the  divine 
authority  of  his  mission ;  for  if  the  gathering  of  Israel  had 
not  been  included  in  the  mission  of  Mr.  Smith,  as  an  important 
part  of  the  great  work  of  the  last  dispensation,  all  would 
haye  had  good  reason  for  rejecting  him  without  further 
inquiry.  The  ministering  of  an  angel— the  restoration  of  the 
gospel — the  conferring  of  the  apostelship— the  setting  up  of 
the  kingdom  of  God — the  gathering  of  the  Saints — the  revela- 
tion of  the  record  of  Joseph,  and  its  union  with  the  Jewish 
record — and  the  restoration  of  all  the  house  of  Israel  to  their 
own  lands,  are  .the  wonderful  events  to  be  fulfilled  in  the  great 
''dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times."  Whatever  person  or 
persons  are  divinely  commissioned  to  usher  in  that  dispensation, 
must  have  the  keys  of  authority  to  perform  every  work  per- 
taining thereunto.     If  Joseph  Smith  had  included  all  these 


WAS  JOSEPH  SMITH  SENT  OE  GOD?  ^         21 

remarkable  events  in  his  mission,  excepting  one;  tlien  that  one 
exception  would  be  sufficient  to  prove  him  to  be  acting  without 
authority.  But  where,  we  ask,  is  there  one  exception  ?  What 
particular  event  or  circumstance  pertaining  to  the  dispensation, 
of  which  he  professed  to  hold  the  keys,  has  he  excluded  from 
his  system  ?  Did  John  predict  the  restoration  of  the  gospel 
by  an  angel?  It  is  included  in  Mr.  Smith's  system.  Did  John 
predict  that  the  Saints  should  receive  a  message  from  heaven, 
commanding  them  to  come  out  of  Babylon?  It  also  is  included 
in  the  system  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  the  Saints  are  now  obeying 
it.  Did  Ezekiel  predict  the  final  gathering  of  Israel  as  an 
immediate  result  of  the  union  of  the  two  records  of  Joseph 
and  Judah?  Mr.  Smith  also  includes  that  in  his  system.  The* 
two  records  are  already  united  in  their  testimony,  and  will  soon 
accomplish  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  sent  forth.  What 
then  is  lacking  ?  Is  there  any  of  the  prophets,  or  inspired 
writers  of  ancient  times,  who  have  pointed  out  some  other  way 
for  the  latter-day  dispensation  to  be  brought  about?  Can  any 
man  show  that  the  gospel  will  not  be  restored  by  an  angel,  or 
that  the  Saints  will  not  be  called  out  'of  Babylon  by  a  message 
from  heaven?  or  that  the  record  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph  will 
not  be  joined  with  the  Jewish  record — the  Bible  ?  or  that  Israel 
will  not  be  gathered  to  their  own  lands  through  the  istrumen- 
tality  of  more  revelation?  or  that  the  kingdom  of  God  will  not 
be  set  up  in  the  latter  days  to  break  in  pieces  all  other  king- 
doms? or  that  apostles  and  prophets  will  not  be  restored  to 
the  earth  as  in  ancient  times  ?  If  all  these  things  are  possible, 
probable,  and  scriptural — if  all  these  events  must  come  to  pass 
in  their  time,  and  in  the  manner  predicted — can  any  one  show 
that  this  is  not  the  tinie  ?  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  not  the 
record  of  Joseph,  about  which  Ezekiel  prophesied  ?  Can  any 
one  show  any  cause  why  Joseph  Smith  should  not  receive  the 
ministering  of  an  angel?  why  he  should  not  be  ordained  an 
apostle,  or  prophet,  or  receive  revelations  and  commandments 
from  God  ?  If  the  gospel  is  to  be  restored  by  an  angel,  it  must 
be  restored  at  the  first  to  some  person.  Why  not  that  person 
be  Mr.  Smith  ?  If  the  records  of  two  different  tribes  are  to  be 
joined  in  one,  why  not  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  the  Bible  be 
the  two  records  ?  and  why  not  Mr.  Smith  be  the  instrument  in 


22  ^  DiVlNE  AUTHORITY,   OR, 

the  hands  of  Grod  in  fulfilling  this  prophecy?  If  these  things 
are  not  the  fulfillment  of  those  ancient  predictions,  will  the 
generations  that  live  when  they  do  come  to  pass  be  any  more 
believing  than  they  are  at  present  in  fhis  work  ?  Will  they  be 
any  more  ready  to  receive  new  revelations,  visions,  angels,  or 
ancient  sacred  records  than  they  are  now  ?  When  God  sets  up 
His  kingdom,  will  mankind  be  any  more  willing  to  receive  the 
apostles,  prophets,  and  inspired  ofiicers  of  that  kingdom,  than 
they  are  now  ?  One  thing  is  certain ;  if  the  angel  has  not 
come — if  the  gospel  is  not  restored — if  the  records  of  Joseph 
are  not  revealed — then  there  is  no  kingdom  of  God  on  the 
earth,  no  authority  to  preach  or  administer  the  ordinances 
among  men ;  all  is  gross  darkness — all  is  uncertainty — and  our 
only  alternative  is  to  wait  till  the  voice  of  the  angel  is  heard, 
till  the  great  work  of  the  last  dispensation  is  ushered  in.  But 
will  we  then  receive  it  ?  Will  not  our  prejudices  be  as  great 
then  as  they  are  now  against  Mr.  Smith  ?  Are  there  any  quali- 
fications that  Mr.  Smith  should  possess  that  he  did  not  possess? 
Were  there  any  doctrines  which  he  advocated  adverse  to  scrip- 
tural doctrine  ?  Were  there  any  principles  connected  with  his 
system  inconsistent  with  the  prophecies?  If  then  perfection 
characterizes  every  doctrine  embraced  in  the  great  scheme  of 
this  modern  prophet,  who  can  say  that  he  was  not  sent  of  God  ? 
Who  dare  oppose  so  great  and  perfect  a  system,  without  the 
least  shadow  of  evidence  to  prove  its  falsity  ?  Who  so  lost  to 
every  sense  of  reason  and  sound  judgement,  as  not  to  perceive 
an  overwhelming  evidence  flowing  in  from  every  quarter  to 
establish  the  divine  mission  of  Joseph  Smith?  Who  that  has 
examined  his  mission  or  system  impartially,  can  bring  even  one 
evidence  against  it?  Are  we  not  bound  then  to  yield,  at  least, 
our  faith  on  the  side  of  evidence  ?  What  excuse  then  can  the 
learned,  and  great  and  wise  of  the  earth,  render  for  opposing 
a  work  of  so  great  importance  with  nought  but  ridicule,  and 
slander,  and  vile  reproaches?  Let  them  bring  forth  their 
strong  reasonings,  or  else  let  them  hear,  and  say  it  is  truth. 

Sixth. — The  perfect  agreement  between  the  prediction  of 
Isaiah  (chap,  xxix.)  and  Mr.  Smith's  account  of  the  finding 
and  translation  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  is  another  collateral 
proof  that  he  was  divinely  commissioned.     Mr.   Smith  testi- 


WAS  JOSEPH  SMITH  SENT  OF  GOD?  2?> 

fies  that  the  plates  from  which  that  book  was  translated  were 
taken  out  of  the  ground,  from  where  they  Were  originally 
deposited  by  the  prophet  Moroni ;  that  the  box  containing 
them  was  composed  of  stone,  so  constructed  as  to  exclude,  in 
a  great  degree,  the  moisture  of  the  soil ;  that  with  the  plates 
he  discovered  a  Urim  and  Thummim,  through  the  aid  of 
which  he  afterwards  was  enabled  to  translate  the  book  into  the 
English  language.  Soon  after  obtaining  the  plates,  a  number 
of  the  characters  were  correctly  transcribed,  and  sent  to  some 
of  the  most  learned  individuals  in  the  United  States,  to  see  if 
they  could  translate  them.  Among  the  rest,  they  were  pre- 
sented to  Professor  Anthon,  of  New  York  city.  But  no  man 
was  found  able  to  read  them  by  his  own  learning  or  wisdom. 
Mr.  Smith,  though  an  unlearned  man,  testifies  that  he  was 
commanded  to  translate  them,  through  the  inspiration  of  the 
Holy  Grhost,  by  the  aid  of  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  and  that 
the  Book  of  Mormon  is  that  translation.  Now,  Isaiah  says  to 
Israel,  "Thou  shaltbe  brought  down,  and  shalt  speak  out  of  the 
ground,  and  thy  speech  shall  be  low  out  of  the  dust,  and  thy 
voice  shall  be,  as  of  one  that  hath  a  familiar  spirit,  out  of  the 
ground,  and  thy  speech  shall  whisper  out  of  the  dust." 

Who  cannot  perceive  the  perfect  harmony  between  Isaiah's 
prediction  and  Mr.  Smith's  testimony?  Isaiah,  as  if  to 
impress  it  upon  the  minds  of  those  who  should  live  in  future 
generations,  gives  no  less  then  four  repetitions  of  the  same 
prediction  in  the  same  passage,  informing  us,  in  the  most 
definite  language,  that  after  Israel  should  be  brought  down, 
they  should  speak  in  a  very  familiar  manner  '  'out  of  the 
ground,"  and  "whisper  low  out  of  the  dust."  Mr.  Smith  has 
been  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  Grod  of  fulfilling  this  pre- 
diction to  the  very  letter.  He  has  taken  "out  of  the  ground" 
the  ancient  history  of  one  half  of  our  globe — the  sacred 
records  of  a  great  nation  of  Israel — the  writings  of^a  remnant 
of  the  tribe  of  Joseph,  who  once  flourished  as  a  great  and 
powerful  nation  on  the  western  hemisphere.  The  mouldering 
ruins  of  their  ancient  forts,  and  towers,  and  cities,  proclaim 
their  former  greatness,  in  mournful  contrast  with  their  present 
sad  condition.  They  have  been  brought  down  like  all  the  rest 
of  Israel ;  but  the  words  of  their  ancient  prophets  "speak  out 
1* 


24  DIVINE  AUTHORITY,   OR, 

of  the  ground,"  and  "whisper  out  of  the  dust"  to  the  ears 
of  the  present  generation,  revealing  in  a  very  "famihar" 
manner  the  history  of  ancient  America,  which  before  was 
entirely  unknown  to  the  nations.  Isaiah  says,  that  Israel 
should  "speak  out  of  the  ground."  Mr.  Smith  says  that  he 
obtained  the  writings  of  Joseph  from  "out  of  the  ground." 
Now,  if  Mr.  Smith  had  professed  that  he  had  got  his  book  as 
Swedenborg  obtained  his,  or  as  the  Shakers  obtained  theirs ; 
that  is,  if  he  had  professed  to  have  obtained  this  book  to 
usher  in  this  last  dispensation  in  any  other  way  but  "out  of 
the  ground, "  we  should  have  had  reason  to  suppose  him  a 
deceiver,  like  Swedenborg  and  thousands  of  others.  Again, 
Isaiah  says  that  "the  vision  of  all  is  become  unto  you  as  the 
words  of  a  book  that  is  sealed,  which  men  deliver  to  one  that 
is  learned,  saying,  Read  this,  I  pray  thee:  and  he  saith,  I 
cannot;  for  it  is  sealed :  And  the  book  is  delivered  to  him 
that  is  not  learned,  saying.  Read  this,  I  pray  thee :  and  he 
saith,  I  am  not  learned.  Wherefore  the  Lord  said.  Forasmuch 
as  this  people  draw  near  me  with  their  mouth,  and  with  their 
lips  do  honor  me,  but  have  removed  their  heart  far  from  me, 
and  their  fear  toward  me  is  taught  by  the  precept  of  men  : 
Therefore,  behold,  I  will  proceed  to  do  a  marvellous  work 
among  this  people,  even  a  marvellous  work  and  a  wonder : 
for  the  wisdom  of  their  wise  men  shall  perish,  and  the  under- 
standing of  their  prudent  men  shall  be  hid."  All  this  was 
fulfilled  before  Mr.  Smith  was  aware  that  it  had  been  so  clearly 
predicted  by  Isaiah.  He  sent  the  "words  of  a  book"  which 
he  found,  as  before  stated,  to  Professor  Anthon.  But  it  was  a 
sealed  writing  to  the  learned  professor— the  aboriginal  language 
of  ancient  America  could  not  be  deciphered  by  him.  He  was 
as  much  puzzled  as  the  wise  men  of  Babylon  were  to  interpret 
the  unknown  writing  upon  the  wall.  Human  wisdom  and 
learning,  in  this  case,  were  altogether  insufficient.  It  required 
another  Daniel,  who  was  found  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Smith. 
What  a  marvellous  work  !  What  a  wonder  !  How  the  wisdom 
of  the  wise  and  learned  was  made  to  perish  by  the  gift  of 
interpretation  given  to  the  unlearned  !  If  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon is  what  it  professes  to  be — a  sacred  record — then  it  must 
be  the  very  book  mentioned  in  Isaiah's  prediction;  for  the 


WAS  JOSEPH  SMITH  SENT  OF  GOD?  25 

Prophet  Nephi,  one  of  the  writers  of  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
who  Hved  upwards  of  2,400  years  ago,  informs  us  that  their 
writings  should  be  brought  to  Ught  in  the  last  days,  in  fulfill- 
ment of  Isaiah's  prediction;  he  also  delivers  a  prophecy  in 
relation  to  the  same  book,  and  predicts  many  events  in  con- 
nenction  therewith,  which  are  not  mentioned  by  Isaiah.  We 
here  give  an  extract  from  his  prediction,  as  also  his  quotations 
from  Isaiah : 

"Behold,  in  the  last  days,  or  in  the  days  of  the  Grentlles; 
yea,  behold  all  the  nations  of  the  Grentiles,  and  also  the  Jews, 
both  those  who  shall  come  upon  this  land,  and  those  who  shall 
be  upon  other  lands ;  yea,  even  upon  all  the  lands  of  the 
earth ;  behold,  they  will  be  drunken  with  iniquity,  and  all  man- 
ner of  abominations ;  and  when  that  day  shall  come,  they 
shall  be  visited  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  with  thunder,  and  with 
earthquake,  and  with  a  great  noise,  and  with  storm,  and  with 
tempest,  and  with  the  flame  of  devouring  fire ;  and  all  the 
nations  that  fight  against  Zion,  and  that  distress  her,  shall  be 
as  a  dream  of  a  night  vision ;  yea,  it  shall  be  unto  them,  even 
as  unto  a  hungry  man  which  dreameth,  and  behold  he  eateth, 
but  he  awaketh  and  his  soul  is  empty;  or  like  unto  a  thirsty 
man  which  dreameth,  and  behold  he  drinketh,  but  he  awaketb, 
and  behold  he  is. faint,  and  his  soul  hath  appetite :  yea,  even 
so  shall  the  multitude  of  all  the  nations  be  that  fight  against 
mount  Zion :  for  behold,  all  ye  that  do  iniquity,  stay  your- 
selves and  wonder,  for  ye  shall  cry  out,  and  cry;  yea,  ye  shall 
be  drunken,  but  not  with  wine ;  ye  shall  stagger,  but  not  with 
strong  drink:  for  behold,  the  Lord  hath  poured  out  upon  you, 
the  spirit  of  deep  sleep.  For  behold,  ye  have  closed  your 
eyes,  and  ye  have  rejected  the  prophets;  and  your  rulers,  and 
the  seers  hath  He  covered  because  of  your  iniquity. 

"And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the  Lord  (jrod  shall  bring 
forth  unto  you  the  words  of  a  book,  and  they  shall  be  the 
words  of  them  which  have  slumbered,  And  behold  the  book 
shall  be  sealed :  and  in  the  book  shall  be  a  revelation  from 
God,  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  the  ending  thereof 
Wherefore,  because  of  the  things  which  are  sealed  up,  the 
things  which  are  sealed  shall  not  be  delivered  in  the  day 
of  the  wickedness  and  abomination  of  the  people. 
Wherefore  the  book  shall  be  kept  from  them.  But  the  book 
shall  be  delivered  unto  a  man,  and  he  shall  deliver  the  words 
of  the  book,  which  are  the  words  of  those  who  have  slum- 
bered in  the  dust;  and  he  shall  deliver  these  words  unto 
another ;  but  the  words  which  are  sealed  he  shall  not  deliver, 
neither  shall  he  deliver  the  book.  For  the  book  shall  be  sealed 
by  the  power  of  Grod,  and  the  revelation  which  was  sealed 


26  DIVINE  AUTHORITY,   OR, 

shall  be  kept  in  the  book  until  the  own  (due  time  of  the  Lord, 
that  thej'  may  come  forth ;  for,  behold,  they  reveal  all  things 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world  unto  the  end  thereof  And 
the  day  cometh  that  the  words  of  the  book  which  were  sealed, 
shall  be  read  upon  the  house-tops ;  and  they  shall  be  read  by 
the  power  of  Christ :  and  all  things  shall  be  revealed  unto  the 
children  of  men  which  ever  have  been  among  the  children  of 
men,  and  which  ever  will  be,  oven  unto  the  end  of  the  earth. 
Wherefore  at  that  day  when  the  book  shall  be  delivered  unto 
the  man  of  whom  I  have  spoken,  the  book  shall  be  hid  from 
the  eyes  of  the  world,  that  the  eyes  of  none  shall  behold  it, 
save  it  be  that  three  witnesses  shall  behold  it,  by  the  power  of 
God,  besides  him  to  whom  the  book  shall  be  delivered ;  and 
they  shall  testify  to  the  truth  of  the  book,  and  the  things 
therein.  And  there  is  none  other  which  shall  view  it,  save  it 
be  a  few,  according  to  the  will  of  God,  to  bear  testimony  of 
his  word  unto  the  children  of  men ;  for  the  Lord  God  hath 
said,  that  the  words  of  the  faithful  should  speak  as  if  it  were 
from  the  dead.  Wherefore,  the  Lord  God  will  proceed  to 
bring  forth  the  words  of  the  book ;  and  in  the  mouth  of  as 
many  witnesses  as  seemeth  him  good,  will  he  establish  his 
word ;  and  wo  be  unto  him  that  rejecteth  the  word  of  God. 

"But  behold,  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  the  Lord  God  shall 
say  unto  him  to  whom  He  shall  deliver  the  book,  take  these 
words  which  are  not  sealed  and  deliver  them  to  another, 
that  he  may  show  them  unto  the  learned,  saying,  read  this, 
I  pray  thee.  And  the  learned  shall  say,  bring  hither  the 
book,  and  1  will  read  them :  and  now,  because  of  the  glory  of 
the  world,  and  to  get  gain  will  they  say  this,  and  nof  for  the 
glory  of  God.  And  the  man  shall  say,  I  cannot  bring  the 
book,  for  it  is  sealed.  ^  Then  shall  the  learned  say,  I  cannot 
read  it.  Wherefore  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the  Lord  God 
will  deliver  again  the  book  and  the  words  thereof  to  him  that 
is  not  learned ;  and  the  man  that  is  not  learned  shall  say,  I  am 
not  learned.  Then  shall  the  Lord  God  say  unto  him,  the 
learned  shall  not  read  them,  for  they  have  rejected  them,  and 
I  am  able  to  do  mine  own  work ;  wherefore,  thou  shalt  read 
the  words  which  I  shall  give  unto  thee.  Touch  not  the  things 
which  are  sealed,  for  I  will  bring  them  forth  in  my  own  due 
time ;  for  I  will  show  unto  the  children  of  men  that  I  am  able 
to  do  mine  own  work.  Wherefore,  when  thou  hast  read  the 
words  which  I  have  commanded  thee,  and  obtained  the  wit- 
nesses which  I  have  promised  unto  thee,  then  shalt  thou  seal 
up  the  book  again,  and  hide  it  up  unto  me,  that  1  may  pre- 
serve the  words  which  thou  hast  not  read,  until  I  shall  see  fit 
in  mine  own  wisdom,  to  reveal  all  things  unto  the  children  of 
men.  For  behold,  I  am  God ;  and  I  am  a  God  of  miracles : 
and  I  will  show  unto  the  world  that  I  am  the  same  yesterday, 


WAS  JOSEPH  SMITH  SENT  OF  GOD?  27 

to-day,  and  for  ever ;  and  I  work  not  among  the  children  of 
men,  save  it  be  according  to  their  faith. 

"And  again  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the  Lord  shall  say 
unto  him  that  shall  read  the  words  that  shall  be  delivered  him, 
forasmuch  as  this  people  draw  near  unto  me  with  their  mouth, 
and  with  their  lips  do  honor  me,  but  have  removed  their 
hearts  far  from  me,  and  their  fear  towards  me  is  taught  by 
the  precepts  of  men,  therefore,  1  will  proceed  to  do  a  mar- 
vellous work  among  this  people,  yea,  a  marvellous  work  and 
a  wonder ;  for  the  wisdom  of  the  wise  and  learned  shall  perish, 
and  the  understanding  of  their  prudent  shall  be  hid.  *  * 
*  *  *  *  And  in  that  day  shall  the  deaf  hear  the 
words  of  the  book,  and  the  eyes  of  the  blind  shall  be  set  out 
of  obscurity  and  out  of  darkness ;  and  the  meek  also  shall 
increase,  and  their  joy  shall  be  in  the  Lord,  and  the  poor 
among  men  shall  rejoice  in  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  For  assur- 
edly as  the  Lord  Kveth  they  shall  see  that  the  terrible  one  is 
brought  to  nought,  and  the  scorner  is  consumed,  and  all  that 
watch  for  iniquity  are  cut  off;  and  they  that  make  a  man  an* 
offender  for  a  word,  and  lay  a  snare  for  him  that  reproveth  in 
the  gate,  and  turn  aside  the  just  for  a  thing  of  nought.  There- 
fore thus  saith  the  Lord,  who  redeemed  Abraham,  concerning 
the  house  of  Jacob,  Jacob  shall  not  now  be  ashamed,  neither 
shall  his  face  now  wax  pale.  But  when  he  seeth  his  children, 
the  work  of  my  hands,  in  the  midst  of  him,  they  shall 
sanctify  my  name,  and  sanctify  the  Holy  One  of  Jacob,  and 
shall  fear  the  Grod  of  Israel.  They  also  that  erred  in  spirit 
shall  come  to  understanding,  and  they  that  murmured  shall 
learn  doctrine." 

Here  it  will  at  once  be  perceived  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  is 
actually  the  book  predicted  by  Isaiah,  or  else  it  must  be  an  impos- 
ture. The  book  mentioned  by  Isaiah  was  to  have  every  charac- 
teristic which  seems  to  accompany  the  Book  of  Mormon.  Did 
Isaiah  predict  that  the  "deaf  should  hear  the  words  of  the  book, 
and  the  eyes  of  the  Wind  see  out  of  obscurity,  and  out  of  dark- 
ness?" It  has  been  fulfilled  by  the  coming  forth  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon.  Did  Isaiah  say  that  in  the  day  his  predicted 
book  should  speak  out  of  the  ground,  then  those  who  "erred 
in  spirit  should  come  to  understanding,  and  they  that  mur- 
mured should  learn  doctrine?"  It  has  been  fulfilled  to  the 
very  letter  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon. Tens  of  thousands  of  honest  men,  who  erred  in  spirit 
because  of  the  doctrines  and  precepts  of  men,  have  come  to 
understanding.       Many  points  of  doctrine  which  had  been  in 


28  DIVINE  AtTTHORlTY,    OR, 

controversy  for  ages  are  made  perfectly  plain  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon ;  hence  those  who  have  murmured  because  of  the 
darkness  and  obscurity  thrown  over  the  scriptures  by  human 
wisdom  and  learning,  have  "learned  doctrine.  "  Did  Isaiah 
prophesy  that  when  the  predicted  book  should  make  its 
appearance,  that  then  "the  house  of  Jacob  should  no  longer 
be  made  ashamed,  neither  should  the  face  of  Jacob  any  more 
wax  pale?"  The  Book  of  Mormon  has  come,  declaring  that 
the  time  is  at  hand  for  the  gathering  of  the  house  of  Jacob, 
no  more  to  be  scattered.  Did  Isaiah  perdict  that  in  the  day  of 
the  revelation  of  a  certain  book,  "the  terrible  one  should  be 
brought  to  nought,  the  scorner  be  consumed,  and  all  that  watch 
for  iniquity  be  cut  oflf ;"  and  finally,  that  "all  the  nations  who 
should  fight  against  Mount  Zion,  should  pass  away  as  the 
dream  of  a  ngiht  vision,  and  be  destroyed  by  earthquake  and 
the  flame  of  devouring  fire?"  The  Book  of  Mormon  comes 
testifying  that  the  hour  of  these  judgments  is  at  hand.  And 
finally,  there  is  no  circumstance  mentioned  by  Isaiah,  con- 
nected with  the  revelation  and  translation  of  the  book  he  men- 
tions, but  what  is  connected  with  the  Book  of  Mormon.  If 
Joseph  Smith  was  an  impostor,  and  wished  to  palm  himself 
off  upon  the  world  as  the  great  prophet  who  was  to  usher  in 
the  preparatory  dispensation  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  how 
came  he  to  discover  all  these  minute  particulars  contained  in 
Isaiah's  prophecy,  so  as  to  so  exactly  and  perfectly  incorporate 
in  his  great  scheme  of  imposture  each  and  every  one  of  them? 
If  this  illiterate  youth  was  a  deceiver,  he  has  far  outstretched 
all  the  learned  divines  or  impostors  of  the  last  eighteen 
hundred  years — he  has  made  his  great  and  extended  scheme 
to  harmonize  in  every  particular,  not  only  with  the  ancient 
gospel  but  with  the  ancient  prophecies,  and  this,  too,  so  per- 
fectly, that  no  one  can  detect  the  delusion.  Reader,  does  not 
such  a  scheme  savor  very  strongly  of  the  truth?  Does  it  not 
require  a  greater  effort  of  mind  to  disbelieve  such  a  scheme 
than  it  does  to  believe  it?  If  such  a  scheme  cannot  be 
credited,  where  is  there  a  scheme  or  system  in  the  whole  world 
that  can  be  Credited?  Can  you  find  a  scheme  more  perfect 
than  the  one  introduced  by  Mr.  Smith  ?  Can  you  find  one 
equal  to  it  in  perfection?    Can  you  find  one  that  contains  one- 


WAS  JOSEPH  SMITH  SENT  OF  GODl^  ,  ,  

twentieth  part  of  the  truth  which  his  system  com^BST^4ff,U  *y(t 
then,  you  doubt  the  authority  of  Mr.  Smith,  how  much  more '" 
ought  you  to  doubt  the  authority  of  every  other  man  now  on 
the  earth?  If  Mr.  Smith's  perfect  scheme  should  be  rejected, 
surely  all  other  schemes  or  doctrines  which  can  be  shown  to  be 
ten  times  more  imperfect,  should  also  be  rejected.  If  any  are 
to  be  received,  surely  that  one  should  be  received  which  seems 
to  contain  all  the  elements  of  a  true  doctrine,  and  in  which 
there  cannot  be  detected  the  least  evidence  of  imposture.  To 
invent  a  scheme  apparently  every  way  suited  to  the  last  dispen- 
sation or  preparatory  work  for  the  second  advent  of  our  Lord 
— to  have  that  scheme  agree  in  every  minute  particular  with 
the  endless  circumstances  and  numberless  events  predicted  by 
the  ancient  prophets,  bespeaks  a  wisdom  far  superior  to  that 
of  man :  it  bespeaks  the  wisdom  of  God.  This  endless  train 
of  circumstances — all  harmonizing — all  combining — all  con- 
centrating as  it  were  into  one  focus— carries  with  it  such  irre- 
sistible evidence  of  truth  that  it  is  almost  impossible  for  the 
careful  investigator  to  reject  the  divinity  of  Joseph  Smith's 
mission.  Like  investigating  the  works  of  nature,  the  more  he 
examines  the  more  he  perceives  the  wisdom  of  the  Deity 
enstamped  upon  every  sentence. 

Seventh. — According  to  the  Book  of  Mormon,  all  of  the 
great  western  continent,  with  all  the  valleys,  hills  and  moun- 
tains, riches  and  resources  pertaining  thereunto,  was  given  to 
the  remnant  of  Joseph,  as  their  "land  of  promise."  The 
Almighty  sealed  this  covenant  and  promise  by  an  oath,  saying, 
that  the  land  should  be  given  unto  them  for  ever.  The  west- 
ern world,  including  both  North  and  South  America,  is  the 
"land  of  promise,"  to  the  remnant  of  Joseph,  in  the  same 
sense  that  the  land  of  Palestine  is  a  promised  land  unto  the 
twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  Now  this  testimony  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon  agrees  most  perfectly  with  the  prophetic  blessing 
placed  upon  the  head  of  Jo^ph  by  the  patriarch  Jacob ;  who, 
just  previous  to  his  death,  called  together  his  sons  and  pre- 
dicted upon  each  what  should  befall  them  or  their  tribes  "in 
the  last  days,"  The  blessing  upon  the  tribe  of  Joseph  is  as 
follows: — [Gen.  xlix  chap.)  "Joseph  is  a  fruitful  bough, 
even  a  fruitful  bough  by  a  well,  whose  branches  run  over  the 


30  DIVINE  AUTHORITY,   OR, 

wall :  the  archers  have  sorely  grieved  him,  and  shot  at  him, 
and  hated  him  :  but  his  bow  abode  in  strength,  and  the  arms 
of  his  hands  were  made  strong  by  the  hands  of  the  mighty 
God  of  Jacob ;  (from  thence  is  the  shepherd,  the  stone  of 
Israel : )  even  by  the  God  of  thy  father,  who  shall  help  thee ; 
and  by  the  Almighty,  who  shall  bless  thee  with  blessings  of 
heaven  above,  blessings  of  the  deep  that  lieth  under,  blessings 
of  the  breast  and  of  the  womb :  the  Ufsnngs  of  thy  father 
hace  prevailed  ahore  the  blessings  of  my  progenitors^  unto  the 
utmost  hound  of  the  everlasting  hills :  they  shall  be  on  the 
head  of  Joseph,  and  on  the  crown  of  the  head  of  him  that 
was  separate  from  his  brethren. "  In  the  preceeding  chapter, 
when  blessing  the  two  sons  of  Joseph,  he  says,  "let  them  grow 
into  a  multitude  in  the  midst  of  the  earth."  And  again,  "his 
seed  shall  become  a  multitude  of  nations."  From  this  pre- 
dictions it  will  be  perceived  that  Jacob  prevailed  with  God,  and 
obtained  a  greater  blessing  in  behalf  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph 
than  what  Abraham  and  Isaac,  his  progenitors,  had  obtained. 
While  the  blessing  of  Jacob's  progenitors  was  limited  to  the 
land  of  Palestine,  Joseph  had  confirmed  upon  him  a  blessing, 
or  country,  above,  or  far  greater  than  Palestine — a  country  at  a 
distance,  represented  by  "the  utmost  bounds  of  the  everlasting 
hills  "  Some  of  the  "branches"  of  the  "fruitful  bough"  of 
Joseph  were  to  spread  far  abroad  from  the  parent  tree — they 
were  to  "run  over  the  wall"  of  the  mighty  ocean — they  were 
to  "become  a  multitude  of  nations  in  the  midst  of  the  earth." 
There,  among  the  "everlasting  hills,"  they  were  to  be  "made 
strong  by  of  the  hands  of  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob. ' '  It  was 
to  be  there  among  the  "multitude  of  nations"  of  the  posterity 
of  Joseph,  that  the  "Shepherd — the  stone  of  Israel"  was  to 
establish  a  kingdom,  which  should  break  in  pieces  all  other 
kingdoms,  and  "fill  the  whole  earth." 

In  America  there  is  "a  multitude  of  nations,"  called  by  us 
"Indians."  These  Indians  evidently  sprang  from  the  same 
source  as  is  indicated  by  their  color,  features,  customs,  dialects, 
traditions,  etc, ;  that  they  are  of  Israelitish  origin  is  also 
evident  from  their  religious  ceremonies,  their  language,  their 
traditions,  and  the  discovery  of  Hebrew  inscriptions,  etc.  If 
America  is  not  the  land  given  to  a  branch  of  Joseph,  where, 


WAS  JOSEPH  SMITH  SENT  OF  GOD?  31 

01*  in  what  part  of  the  globe  shall  that  tribe  receive  the  fulfill- 
ment of  Jacob's  prediction?  where,  if  not  in  America,  has  a 
land  been  peopled  by  a  multitude  of  the  nations  of  Joseph? 
Can  a  multitude  of  the  nations  of  Joseph  be  found  in  Europe, 
Asia,  or  Africa,  or  in  any  of  the  adjoining  islands  ?      If  not, 
then  America  seems  to  be  the  only  place  where  that  great  pre- 
diction could  receive  its  accomplishment.     The  Book  of  Mor- 
mon testifies  that  America  is  "the  land  of  Joseph,"  given  to 
them  by  promise.     Is  not  this  an  additional  evidence  that  Mr. 
Smith  was  sent  of  God?    If  Mr.  Smith  was  an  impostor,  how 
came  he  to  discover  that  the  tribe  of  Joseph  was  to  be  favored 
so  much  above  all  the  other  tribes  of  Israel?    Perhaps  it  may 
be  replied,  that  it  was  easy  to  discover  that  from  the  scriptures; 
but,  we  ask,  why  did  not  Swedenborg,  Wesley,  Irving,  or  some 
of  the  other  impostors  of  former  times,  make  this  scriptural 
discovery,  and  incorporate  it  in  their  pretended  dispensations  ? 
It  would  be,  at  first,  thought  far  more  natural  to  suppose  the 
American  Indians  to  be  the  ten  lost  tribes  of  Israel;  indeed, 
this  is  the  opinion  of  many  of  the  learned  at  the  present  day. 
Why  did  not  this  modern  prophet,  if  a  deceiver,  form  his 
deceptive  scheme  more  in  accordance  with  the  opinions  of  the 
learned  ?   or  why  should  he  choose  a  remnant  of  the  tribe  ot 
Joseph  to  people  ancient  America?      Out  of  the  twelve  tribes 
of  Israel,  why  did  he  select  only  a  branch  of  one  tribe  to 
people  this  vast  continent?      All  can  now  perceive  why  the 
Book  of  Mormon  should  profess  to  be  the  history  of  a  rem- 
nant of  one  tribe,  instead  of  being  the  history  of  the  ten 
tribes.      All  can  see,  why  America  should  be  represented  as  a 
promised  land  to.  Joseph,  instead  of  being  given  to  Reuben, 
Simeon,  or  any  of  the  other  tribes.     All  can  7ioiv  see,  though 
it  was  not  seen  at  first,  that  if  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  differ- 
ent from  what  it  now  is;    that  is,  if  it  professed  to  contain  a 
history  of  the  ten  lost  tribes;  or  if  it  had  given  the  great  western 
continent  to  any  other  people,  or  to  any  other  tribe  than  that 
of  Joseph,  that  it  would  have  proved  itself  false— it  would  not 
have  been  the  book  or  record  which  the  prophets  predicted 
should  come  forth  to  usher  in  the  great  work  of  the  last  days. 
An  impostor  would  be  obliged  to  take  into  consideration  all 
these  minute   circumstances,   many  of  which  are  in    direct 


32  DIVINE  AUTSORITT,  OR, 

opposition  to  the  established  traditions  of  the  day ;  yet  none 
of  them  could  be  neglected  without  proving  fatal  to  his  scheme. 
But  Mr.^Smith  with  all  the  accuracy  of  a  profound  mathema- 
tician, has  combined  all  the  minute  elements  of  both  doctrine 
and  prophecy  in  his  grand  and  wonderful  scheme — nothing  is 
wanting.  Whatever  department  of  his  system  is  examined  it 
will  be  found  invulnerable.  What  an  invaluable  amount  of 
evidence  to  establish  the  dldnc  mission  of  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith! 

Eighth. — In  the  Book  of  Mormon  are  given  the  names  and 
locations  of  numerous  cities  of  great  magnitude,  which  once 
flourished  among  the  ancient  nations  of  America.  The  north- 
ern portions  of  South  America,  and  also  Central  America, 
were  the  most  densely  populated.  Splendid  edifices,  palaces, 
towers,  forts  and  cities,  were  reared  in  all  directions.  A  care- 
ful reader  of  that  interesting  book,  can  trace  the  relative  bear- 
ings, and  distances  of  many  of  these  cities  from  each  other; 
and  if  acquainted  with  the  present  geographical  features  of  the 
country,  he  can,  by  the  discriptions  given  in  that  book,  deter- 
mine, very  nearly,  the  precise  spot  of  ground  they  once 
occupied.  Now  since  that  invaluable  book  made  its  appear- 
ance in  print,  it  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  the  mouldering  ruins 
of  many  splendid  edifices  and  towers,  and  magnificent  cities  of 
great  extent,  have  been  discovered  by  Catherwood  and  Stephens 
in  the  interior  wilds  of  Central  America,  in  the  very  region 
where  the  ancient  cities  described  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  were 
said-  to  exist.  Here,  then,  is  a  certain  and  indisputable 
evidence  that  this  illiterate  youth — the  translator  of  the  Book 
of  -Mormon,  was  inspired  of  God.  Mr.  Smith's  translation 
describes  the  region  of  country  where  great  and  populous  cities 
anciently  existed,  together  with  their  relative  bearings  and 
approximate  distances  from  each  other.  Tears  after,  Messrs. 
Catherwood  and  Stephens  discovered  the  ruins  of  forty-four  of 
these  very  cities  and  in  the  very  place  described.  What,  but 
the  power  of  God,  could  have  revealed  beforehand  this 
unknown  fact,  demonstrated  years  after  by  actual  dis- 
covery? 

Ninth. — The  fulfillment  of  a  vast  number  of  prophecies 
delivered  by    Mr.  Smith  is  another  infallible  evidence  of  his 


Was  JOSEPH  sMiTtt  sent  of  god?  33 

divine  mission.  Out  of  the  many  hundreds  of  ful- 
filled predictions  uttered  by  him,  we  select  the  following  as 
examples: 

1.  Soon  after  Mr.  Smith  found  the  plates,  he  commenced 
translating  them.  He  had  not  proceeded  far  before  he  dis- 
covered from  his  own  translation  of  the  prophecy  of  Nephi, 
as  before  quoted,  the  three  witnesses,  besides  himself, 
should  behold  the  book  by  the  power  of  Grod,  and  should  know 
and  testify  of  its  truth.  Some  length  of  time  after  this,  or  in 
the  month  of  June,  A.  D.  1829,  the  Lord  gave  a  revelation, 
through  Mr.  Smith,  to  Oliver  Cowdery,  David  Whitmer  and 
Martin  Harris,  promising  them  that  if  they  would  exercise 
faith,  they  should  have  a  view  of  the  plates,  and  also  of  the 
Ilrim  and  Thummim.  This  prediction  was  afterwards  ful- 
filled; and  these  three  persons  send  forth  their  written  testi- 
mony, in  connection  with  the  Book  of  Mormon,  to  all  nations, 
kindreds,  tongues  and  people,  declaring  that  an  angel  of  God 
descended  from  heaven,  and  took  the  plates  and  exhibited 
them  before  their  eyes ;  and  that  at  the  same  time,  the  voice  of  the 
Lord  from  the  heavens  testified  to  them  of  the  truth  contained 
in  Mr.  Smith's  translation  of  these  records.  Now  an  impostor 
might  indeed  predict  the  raising  of  three  witnesses,  but 
he  could  never  call  down  an  angel  from  heaven,  in  the  presence 
of  these  witnesses,  to  fulfill  his  prediction. 

2.  Before  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints  had  any  existence  upon  the  earth,  the  prophecy  of 
Moroni  was  translated  and  printed  in  the  Book  of  Mormon. 
It  is  expressly  predicted  in  this  prophecy,'  that  in  the  day  that 
that  book  should  be  revealed,  "the  blood  of  the  Saints  should 
cry  unto  the  Lord  from  the  ground,"  because  of  the  wicked- 
ness of  the  people,  and  that  the  "time  should  soon  come 
when,"  because  of  the  cries  and  mourning  of  "widows  and 
orphans,"  whose  husbands  and  fathers  should  be  slain  by 
wicked  hands,  "the  Lord  should  avenge  the  blood  of  his 
Saints."  And  again,  in  August,  1831,  the  word  of  the  Lord 
came  to  Mr.  Smith,  saying  that  "the  Saints  should  be  scourged 
from  city  to  city,  and  from  synagogue  to  synagogue, ' '  and  that 
but  few  of  those  then  in  the  Church  should  "stand  to 
receive  an  inheritance." — [See  Book  of  I)octrme  and  Cove- 


34  DIVINE  AUTHORITY,   OR, 

7iants,  page  235.)  The  blood  of  many  hundreds  of  Saints 
who  have  been  slain  and  martyred  in  this  Church,  is  an  incon- 
trovertible evidence  of  the  truth  of  the  prediction.  Surely 
Mr.  Smith  must  have  been  a  prophet  of  Grod  to  have  foreseen 
not  only  the  rise  of  the  Church  of  the  Saints,  but  that  their 
blood  should  cry  aloud  from  the  ground  for  vengeance  upon 
the  nation  who  should  perpetrate  these  bloody  deeds.  No 
human  foresight  could  have  seen  the  bloody  sceneries  that 
were  to  take  place  after  the  rise  of  the  Church.  All  natural 
appearances  in  the  United  States  were  against  the  fulfillment 
of  this  dreadful  prediction.  Every  religious  society  through- 
out the  whole  country  was  strongly  guarded  against  persecu- 
tion and  religious  intolerance  by  the  strong  arm  of  the  civij 
law.  The  glorious  constitution  of  this  great  and  free  people 
proclaimed  religious  freedom  to  every  son  and  daughter  of 
Columbia's  soil:  yet,  in  the  midst  of  this  boasted  land  of 
freedom  and  religious  rights,  where  universal  peace  seemed  to 
have  selected  her  quiet  dwelling-place,  the  voice  of  the  great 
prophet  is  heard  predicting  the  rise  of  the  Latter-day  Church, 
and  the  bloody  persecutions  that  should  follow  her  "from  city 
to  city,  and  from  synagogue  to  synagogue. ' '  Never  were  there 
any  prophecies  more  literally  and  palpably  fulfilled  since  the 
creation  of  the  earth.  If  the  foretelling  of  future  events  that 
could  not  possibly  have  been  foreseen  by  human  wisdom — 
events,  too,  that  to  all  outward  appearances  were  very  unlkely 
to  come  to  pass :  if  the  predicting  of  such  events  and  their 
subsequent  fulfillment  constitutes  a  true  prophet,  then  Joseph 
Smith  must  have  been  a  true  prophet,  and,  if  a  true  prophet, 
he  must  have  heen  sent  of  God. 

Tenth. — There  are  many  thousands  of  living  witnesses  who 
testify  that  God  has  revealed  unto  them  the  truth  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  by  dreams,  by  visions,  by  the  revelations  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  by  the  ministering  of  angels,  and  by  His  own 
voice.  Now,  if  Mr.  Smith  is  an  impostor,  all  these  witnesses 
must  be  impostors  also.  Perhaps  it  may  be  said,  that  these 
witnesses  are  not  impostors,  but  are  deceived  themselves.  But, 
we  ask.  can  any  man  testify  that  he  knows  a  false  doctrine  to  be 
true,  and  still  not  be  an  impostor  ?  Men  frequently  are  deceived 
when  they  testify  their  opinions,  but  never  deceived  when  they 


WAS  JOSEPH  SMITH  SENT  OP  GOD?  35 

testify  they  nave  a  hiowledge.  Such  must  either  be  impostors, 
or  else  their  doctrine  must  be  true.  Now,  would  it  not  be  mar- 
velously  strange  indeed,  if  even  three  or  four  men,  who  were 
entirely  disconnected,  being  strangers  to  each  other,  should  all 
undertake  to  deceive  mankind  by  testifying  that  an  angel  of 
God  had  descended  before  them,  or  that  a  heavenly  vision  had 
been  shown  to  them,  or  that  God  had  in  some  other  marvellous 
way  manifested  to  them  the  divine  authenticity  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon  ?  If  the  testimony  of  three  or  four  impostors  would 
appear  marvelous,  how  infinately  more  marvelous  would  appear 
the  testimony  of  tens  of  thousands  of  impostors  in  different 
countries,  widely  separated  from  each  other,  and  who  never 
saw  each  others  faces,  and  yet  all  endeavoring  to  palm  upon 
the  world  the  same  great  imposition  !  If  many  thousands  of 
witnesses  do  testify  boldly,  with  words  of  soberness,  that  God 
has  revealed  to  them  that  this  is  His  church  or  kingdom  that 
was  to  be  set  up  in  the  last  days,  then  we  have  an  overwhelm- 
ing flood  of  collateral  evidences  to  establish  the  divine  mission 
of  Joseph  Smith. 

Eleventh. — The  miracles  wrought  by  Joseph  Smith  nre 
evidences  of  no  small  moment  to  estabhsh  his  divine  author- 
ity. In  the  name  of  the  Lord  he  cast  out  devils,  healed  the 
sick,  spoke  with  new  tongues,  interpreted  ancient  languages, 
and  predicted  future  events.  Many  of  these  miracles  were 
wrought  before  numerous  multitudes  of  both  believers  and 
unbelievers,  and  upon  persons  not  connected  with  our  Church. 
And  again,  the  numerous  miracles  wrought  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  thousands  of  the  officers  and  members  of  this 
Church,  are  additional  evidences  that  the  man  who  was  instru- 
mental in  founding  the  C  hurch  must  have  been  sent  of  God. .  The 
thousands  of  sick  that  have  been  miraculously  healed  in  all 
parts  of  the  world  where  this  gospel  is  preached,  give  forth  a 
strong  and  almost  irresisitble  testimony  that  Mr.  Smith's 
authority  is  "from  heaven."  Although  the  great  majority  of 
mankind  consider  miracles  to  be  an  infallible  evidence  in  favor 
of  the  divine  authority  of  the  one  who  performs  them,  yet  we 
do  most  distinctly  dissent  from  this  idea.  If  miracles  be  admit- 
ted as  an  infallible  evidence,  then  all  that  have  ever  wrought 
miracles  must  have  been  sent  of  God.     The  magicians  of  Egypt 


36  DIVINE  AUTHORITY,  OR, 

wrought  some  splendid  miracles  before  that  nation;  they 
created  serpents  and  frogs,  and  turned  rivers  of  water  into 
blood.  If  miraculous  evidence  is  infaUihle^  the  Egyptians  were 
bound  to  receive  the  contradictory  messages  of  both  Moses  and 
the  magicians  as  of  divine  authority.  According  to  this  idea, 
the  witch  of  Endor  must  have  established  her  divine  mission 
beyond  all  controversy  by  calling  forth  a  dead  man  from  the 
grave  in  the  presence  of  Saul,  king  of  Israel.  A  certain 
wicked  power  described  by  John  [Rev.  xiii.  chap. )  was  to  do 
'great  wonders"  and  ''miracles,"  and  cause  "fire  to  come 
down  from  heaven  on  the  eartIS  in  the  sight  of  men. ' '  If 
miracles  were  infallible  evidences,  surely  no  one  should  reject 
the  divine  authority  of  John's  beast.  Again  in  [Rev.  xvi. 
chap.)  "John  saw  three  unclean  spirits  like  frogs,"  which  he 
expressly  says,  are  the  spirits  of  devils  working  mira- 
cles, which  go  forth  unto  the  kings  of  the  earth  and  of  the 
whole  ivorld  to  gather  them  to  the  battle  of  that  great  day  of 
God  Almighty.'"  The  learned  divines  and  clergy  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  boldly  declare  that  ''miracles  are  an  infalli- 
ble evidence  of  the  divine  mission  of  the  one  who  performs 
them."  If  so,  who  can  blame  "the  kings  of  the  earth,"  and 
these  learned  divines,  and  all  their  followers  for  embracing  the 
message  of  these  divinely  inspired  devils?  For,  according  to 
their  arguments,  they  should  in  no  wise  reject  them,  for  they 
prove  their  mission  by  evidences  which  they  say  are  infallible. 
We  shall  expect  in  a  few  years,  to  see  an  innumerable  host  of 
sectarian  ministers  as  well  as  kings,  taking  up  their  line  of 
march  for  the  great  valley  of  "Armageddon,"  near  Jerusalem, 
and  thus  prove  by  their  works  that  they  do  really  believe  in 
the  infallibility  of  miracidous  evidence.  Devils  can  work 
miracles  as  well  as  God,  and  as  they  have  already  persuaded 
the  rehgious  world  that  miracles  are  infallible  evidences  of 
divine  authority,  they  will  not  have  much  difficulty  among  the 
followers  of  modern  Christianity  in  establishing  the  divinity  of 
their  mission.  But  the  Latter-day  Saints  do  not  believe  in 
the  infallibility  of  miraculous  evidence.  We  believe  the 
miraculous  gifts  are  absolutely  necessary  in  the  church  of 
Christ,  without  which  it  cannot  exist  on  the  earth.  Miracles, 
when  taken  in  connection  with  a  pure,  holy,  and  perfect  doc- 


WAS  JOSEPH  SMITH  SENT  OF  GOD?  37 

trine,  reasonable  and  scriptural,  is  a  very  strong  collateral 
evidence  in  favor  of  that  doctrine,  and  of  the  divine  authority 
of  those  who  preach  it.  But  abstract  miracles  alone,  uncon- 
nected with  other  evidences,  instead  of  being  infallible  proofs 
are  no  proofs  at  all :  they  are  as  likely  to  be  false  as  true.  So 
baptism  "for  the  remission  of  sins"  is  essential  in  the  church 
of  Christ,  and  when  taken  in  connection  with  all  other  points 
of  doctrine  embraced  in  the  gospel,  is  a  presumptive  evidence 
for  the  divine  authority  of  the  person  who  preaches  it.  But 
baptism  "for  the  remission  of  sins,"  unconnected  with  other 
parts  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  would  be  no  evidence  either 
for  or  against  the  divine  authority  of  any  man.  The  many 
thousands  of  miracles  wrought  in  this  Church,  being  connected 
as  they  are  with  an  infallible  doctrine,  and  with  a  vast  number 
of  other  proofs,  have  carried  an  almost  irresistible  con- 
viction to  the  minds  of  vast  multitudes,  who  have,  in  conse- 
quence, yielded  obedience  to  the  message,  and  become  in  their 
turn  the  happy  recipients  of  the  same  power  of  God,  by  which 
they  themselves  can  also  heal  the  sick  and  work  by  faith  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  ;  thus  demonstrating  to  themselves  the  truth 
of  the  Savior's  promise,  viz: — that  certain  miraculous  "signs 
shall  follow  them  that  believe.  "  — [See  3Iark,  chapter 
xvi ) 

There  is  one  thing  connected  with  Joseph  Smith's  message 
which  will  at  once  prove  him  to  be  an  impostor  or  else  a  true 
prophet.  It  is  a  certain  promise  contained  in  a  revelation 
which  was  given  through  him  to  the  apostles  of  this  Church 
in  the  year  1832.       It  reads  as  follows  : — 

"Gro  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  whatsoever  place  ye  cannot 
go  into  ye  shall  send,  that  the  testimony  may  go  from  you  into 
all  the  world  unto  every  creature. 

"And  as  I  said  unto  mine  apostles,  even  so  I  say  unto  you, 
for  you  are  mine  apostles,  even  God's  High  Priests;  ye  are 
they  whom  my  Father  hath  given  me— ye  are  my  friends ; 

"Therefore,  as  I  said  unto  mine  apostles  I  say  unto  you 
again,  that  every  soul  who  believeth  on  your  words,   and  is 
baptized  by  water  for  the  remission  of  sins,  shall  receive  the 
Holy  Ghost ; 
"And  these  signs  shall  follow  them  that  beHeve. 


Ms  DIVINE  AUTHORITY,  OR, 

'In  my  name  thej^  shall  do  many  wonderful  works; 
'In  my  name  they  shall  cast  out  devils; 

"In  my  name  they  shall  heal  the  sick  ; 

''In  my  name  they  shall  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind,  and 
unstop  the  ears  of  the  deaf; 

''And  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  shall  speak; 

"And  if  any  man  shall  administer  poison  unto  them  it  shall 
not  hurt  them ;  * 

"And  the  poison  of  a  serpent  shall  not  have  power  to 
harm  them.  *  ^  *  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you 
they  who  believe  not  on  your  words,  and  are  not  baptized  in 
water,  in  ray  name,  for  the  remission  of  their  sins,  that  they 
may  receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  shall  be  damned,  and  shall  not 
come  into  my  ^^ather's  kingdom,  where  my  Father  and  I 
am. 

~"And  this  revelation  unto  you,  and  commandment,  is  in  force 
from  this  very  hour  upon  all  the  world."  [Doctrine  and  Coa- 
euants,  page  294,  295.) 

Here,  then,  this  great  modern  prophet  has  presented  himstlf 
before  the  whole  world  with  a  bold  unequivocal  promise  to 
every  soul  who  would  believe  on  his  message — a  promise,  too, 
that  no  impostor  would  dare  to  make  with  the  most  distant 
hope  of  success.  An  impostor  might  indeed  make  such  a 
promise  to  his  followers,  but  they  never  would  realize  a  fulfill- 
ment of  it.  If  these  miraculous  signs  have  not  followed 
according  to  the  above  promise,  then  the  tens  of  thousands 
who  have  complied  with  the  conditions  would  know  Joseph 
Smith  to  be  an  impostor,  and  with  one  accord  would  turn 
away,  and  that  would  be  the  end  of  the  imposition.  But  the 
very  fact  that  vast  multitudes  are  annually  being  added  to  the 
Church,  and  continue  therein  year  after  year,  is  a  demostrative 
evidence  that  the  promise  is  fulfilled — that  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
given,  and  the  miraculous  signs  also.  Dare  any  other  societies 
in  all  the  world  make  such  a  promise  unto  the  believers  in  their 
respective  systems?  No,  they  dare  not;  they  know  full  well 
that  it  would  be  the  speedy  downfall  and  utter  overthrow  of 
their  vain,  unauthorized,  and  powerless  religions.  0,  what  a 
wide  and  marked  difference  between  the  religion  of  Joseph 
Smith  and  that  of  Protestant  and  Catholic  religion — between 


WAS  JOSEPH   SMITH  SENT  OF  GOD?  39 

his  authority  and  that  of  sectarian  divines !  The  one  promises 
all  the  miraculous  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  his  followers,  the 
other  is  as  powerless  as  the  dry  stubble  prepared  for  the  burn- 
ing. While  the  followers  of  this  great  prophet  cast  out  devils, 
speak  with  new  tongues,  heal  the  sick,  open  the  eyes  of  the 
blind,  cause  the  lame  to  walk,  obtain  heavenly  visions,  and  con- 
verse with  angels,  the  followers  of  those  unauthorized,  deluded 
and  crafty  sects  not  only  deny  these  great  and  glorious  gifts,  or 
impute  them  in  these  days  to  the  power  of  the  devil,  but  they 
grasp  the  sword,  and  fire-arms,  and  deadly  weapons,  to  kill  off 
the  .Saints,  and  drive  them  from  the  face  of  what  they  call 
civilized  society.  While  the  one  class  are  suffering  martyrdom 
by  scores  for  their  testimony,  the  other  class  are  rolling  in  all 
the  luxuries  and  splendors  of  great  Babylon,  with  fat  salaries 
of  from  ten  to  twenty-seven  thousand  pounds  sterling  per 
annum. 

As  we  have  briefly  examined  into  the  nature  of  the  evidences 
in  favor  of  Joseph  Smith's  divine  mission,  it  may  be  well  at 
the  close  of  this  number  to  give  a  short  summary  of  the  proofs 
and  arguments 'contained  in  the  foregoing. 

1.  Joseph  Smith's  doctrine  is  reasonable,  scriptural,  perfect 
and  infallible  in  all  its  precepts,  commands,  ordinances, 
promises,  blessings  and  gifts.  In  liis  organization  of  the 
Church,  no  officer  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament  organiza- 
tion is  omitted.  Inspired  apostles  and  prophets  are  considered 
as  necessary  as  pastors,  teachers,  or  any  other  officer. 

2.  Joseph  Smith's  account  of  the  restoration  of  the  gospel 
by  an  angel — of  his  taking  out  of  the  ground  the  sacred  records 
of  the  tribe  of  Joseph — of  their  subsequent  translation  by  the 
gift  of  God — and  of  the  great  western  continent's  being  given 
to  a  remnant  of  Joseph,  where  they  have  grown  into  a  mul- 
titude of  nations,  are  all  events  clearly  predicted  by  the  ancient 
Jewish  apostles  and  prophets,  together  with  the  minute  circum- 
stances connected  thefewith.  The  times  and  seasons  in  which 
these  events  should  transpire,  and  the  purposes  which  they 
should  accomplish  are  also  all  plainly  foretold.  Joseph  Smith 
presents  the  world  with  the  fulfillment  at  the  predicted  time- 
in  the  predicted  manner — and  for  the  predicted  purpose  as 
anciently  specified.  • 


40  DIVINE  AUTHORITY, 

3.  Joseph  Smith  incorporates  in  his  mission  the  gathering  of 
the  Saints  out  of  Babylon,  and  every  other  predicted  event 
that  was  to  characterize  the  great  preparatory  dispensation  for 
the  second  advent  of  our  Lord. 

4.  The  revelation  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  pointing  out  the 
location  of  many  ancient  cities,  the  ruins  of  virhich  were  subse- 
quently discovered  by  Catherwood  and  Stephens — the  direct 
and  palpable  fulfillment  of  many  of  the  prophecies  of  Joseph 
Smith,  which  no  human  sagacity  could  have  foreseen,  all 
natural  appearances  and  circumstances  being  entirely  against 
their  expected  fulfillment — the  raising  up  of  numerous  other 
witnesses  who  also  testify  to  the  ministering  of  angels  and  the 
manifestations  of  the  power  of  God  confirmatory  of  this  mes- 
sage—the performance  of  many  splendid  miracles  by  Mr. 
Smith  and  his  followers,  and  the  bold  unequivocal  promise  of 
the  miraculous  gifts  to  all  who  should  believe  and  embrace  this 
message,  are  all  evidences  such  as  no  impostor  ever  has  given, 
or  ever  can  give.  They  are  evidences  such  as  will  prove  the 
salvation  of  every  creature  that  receives  the  message,  and  the 
damnation  of  every  soul  that  rejects  it.  • 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD,  41 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 


BY     ORSON     PRATT, 

ONE    OF    THE    TWELVE    APOSTLES    OF    THE  CHURCH   OF  JESUS 
CHRIST   OF  LATTER-DAY  SAINTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 


THE  NATURE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  THE  KING— THE  CHARAC- 
TER AND  REQUISITE  QUALIFICATIONS  OF  THE  SUBOR- 
DINATE  OFFICERS. 

THE  kingdom  of  God  is  an  order  of  government  established 
by  divine  authority.  It  is  the  only  legal  government 
that  can  exist  in  any  part  of  the  universe.  All  other  govern- 
ments are  illegal  and  unauthorized.  God,  having  made  all 
beings  and  worlds,  has  the  supreme  right  to  govern  them  by 
His  own  laws,  and  by  officers  of  His  own  appointment.  Any 
people  attempting  to  govern  themselves  by  laws  of  their  own 
making,  and  by  officers  of  their  own  appointment,  are  in  direct 
rebellion  against  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  antediluvians  were 
overthrown  by  a  flood,  because  they  rejected  the  government  of 
the  Almighty,  and  instituted  their  own  governments  in  its 
stead.  Noah  and  his  family  were  the  only  loyal  and  obedient 
subjects  to  the  legal  power:  they  alone  were  saved.  The 
universal  desolation  and  utter  abolishment  of  all  the  unauthor- 
ized man-made  governments  of  the  old  world,  should  have 
been  an  everlasting  warning  to  all  future  generations  to  avoid 
the  same  rebellion,  and  to  establish  no  governments  on  the 


42  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

earth  of  human  origin.  But  alas !  the  posterity  of  Noah  soon 
revolted  from  the  only  legal,  rightful  power,  and  set  up  for 
themselves  forms  of  governments  of  their  own  inventions. 
The  rebellion  soon  became  so  general,  that  all  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth,  except  Melchizedek,  Abraham,  Lot,  and  a  very 
few  others,  engaged  themselves  in  it,  supporting  and  uphold- 
ing kings  and  other  officers  in  their  usurped  authority,  and 
suiFering  themselves  to  be  governed  by  human  laws,  instead  of 
revealed  laws  from  God.  From  that  time  until  the  present, 
empires,  kingdoms,  principalites,  repubhcs,  and  numerous 
other  corrupt,  illegal,  unauthorized  powers,  have  multiplied 
themselves  in  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe.  At  various 
times,  during  the  last  four  thousand  years,  Grod  has  asserted 
His  rights,  and  endeavored  to  establish  His  own  authority.  His 
own  laws,  and  His  own  government  among  the  children  of  men. 
But  so  great  was  the  opposition  manifested  by  those  illegal, 
rebellious  powers,  that  His  government  while  on  earth  was 
exQeedingly  limited  in  numbers.  The  vast  majority  of  man. 
kind  made  war  against  it — overcame,  killed,  and  destroyed  its 
officers  and  loyal  subjects,  until  not  a  vestige  of  it  was  left 
remaining  on  the  earth.  For  seventeen  hundred  years  the 
nations,  upon  the  eastern  hemisphere  have  been  entirely  desti- 
tute of  the  kingdom  of  (roc?— entirely  destitute  of  a  true  and 
legal  government^-entirely  destitute  of  officers  legally  author- 
ized  to  rule  and  govern.  All  the  emperors,  kings,  princes, 
presidents,  lords  and  rulers,  during  that  long  night  of  dark- 
ness, have  acted  without  authority.  Not  one  of  them  was 
called  or  anointed  a  king  or  a  prince  by  the  God  of  heaven — 
not  one  of  them  received  his  office  or  appointment  by  Him — 
not  one  of  them  has  received  revelations  or  laws  from  Him — 
not  one  of  them  has  received  any  communication  whatsoever 
from  the  rightful  sovereign,  the  great  King.  Their  authority 
is  all  assumed— it  originated  in  man.  Their  laws  are  not  from 
the  great  Lawgiver,  but  the  production  of  their  own  false 
governments.  Their  very  foundations  were  laid  in  rebellion, 
and  the  whole  superstructure,  from  first  to  last,  is  a  hetero- 
geneous mass  of  discordant  elements,  in  direct  opposition  to 
the  kingdom  of  God,  which  is  the  only  true  government  which 
should  be  recognized  on  earth  or  in  heaven. 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  43 

The  kingdom  of  God  is  a  theocracy.  And  as  it  is  the  only 
form  of  government  which  will  redeem  and  save  mankind,  it  is 
necessary  that  every  soul  should  be  rightly  and  thoroughly 
instructed  in  regard  to  its  nature  and  general  characteristics. 
The  beauty,  glory,  power,  wisdom  and  order  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  may  be  more  fully  understood  by  a  careful  examina- 
tion of  the  following  subjects. 

First. — The  nature  and  character  of  the  King. 

Second. — The  character  and  requisite  qualifications  of  the 
suhordinate  officers.  t 

Third. — The  nature  and  character  of  the  laws  of  adoption, 
or  the  invariable  rule  hy  which  aliens  ovre  admitted  into  the 
hingdom  as  citizens. 

Fourth. — The  natnre  and  character  of  the  laws  given  for  the 
government  of  all  adopted  citizens. 

Fifth. — The  character,  disposition,  and  qualifications  neces- 
sary for  every  citizen  to  possess. 

Sixth. — The  rights,  privileges,  and  blessings' enjoyed  hy  the 
subjects  in  this  life. 

Seventh. — The  rights,  privileges,  and  blessings  promised  to 
the  faithffd,  obedient  subjects  in  a  future  life.    ■ 

Dear  reader,  your  future  well-being  in  all  time  to  come 
depends  upon  your  rightly  understanding  these  seven  subjects. 
Read,  therefore,  with  serious  attention,  and  your  mind  shall  be 
opened  to  see  things  that  you  never  saw  before  ;  things  too  of 
infinite  importance,  without  which  you  can  in  no  wise  be  saved. 
Let  us  begin  by  examining — 

First, — The  nature  and  character  of  the  King.  ,God  is  the 
King.  In  Him  exists  all  legal  authority.  He  alone  has  the 
right  of  originating  a  system  of  government  on  the  earth.  He 
claims  this  right  by  virtue  of  His  having  made  man  and  the 
earth  he  inhabits.  Man,  therefore,  is  indebted  to  God  for  his 
own  formation  and  for  the  formation  of  the  planet  on  which 
he  dwells.  He  also  claims  the  right  of  establishing  His  govern- 
ment among  men,  by  virtue  of  His  superior  wisdom  and  power. 
If  God  had  sufficient  wisdom  and  power  to  construct  such  a 
beautiful  world  as  this,  with  all  the  infinite  varieties  of  vegeta- 
bles and  animals  appended  to  it ;  if  He  could  form  such  an 
intricate  and  complicated  piece  of  machinery  as  the  human 


44  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOC. 

tabernacle  as  a  dwelling-place  for  the  human  spirit,  then  we 
must  admit  that  His  wisdom  and  power  are  immeasurably 
greater  than  that  of  man,  and  hence  He  is  qualified  to  reign  as 
king.  An  order  of  government,  established  by  such  an  all- wise, 
powerful  being,  must  be  good  and  perfect,  and  must  be  cal- 
culated to  promote  the  permanent  peace,  happiness,  and  well- 
being  of  all  His  subjects.  The  great  King  is  a  very  amiable 
being,  fiill  of  benevolence  and  goodness,  and  never  turns  any 
person  away  empty,  that  comes  requesting  a  favor  which  He 
sees  would  be  for  his  benefit. 

The  King  occasionally  visited  His  subjects  in  ancient  times, 
and  once  tarried  with  them  for  several  years  ;  but  He  received 
such  cruel  abuse  from  many  of  the  people  that  He  left  them, 
and  went  to  some  other  part  of  His  dominions.  Where  the 
King  is  gone  the  people  cannot  tell.  They  have  not  heard  one 
word  from  Him  for  upwards  of  seventeen  hundred  years.  He 
has  been  absent  so  long,  that  some  of  the  people  have  doubted 
even  His  extistence.  They  have  argued  that  if  He  did  exist, 
that  some  one  would  very  likely  have  heard  something  from 
him  in  the  course  of  so  many  centuries.  Many  millions  how- 
ever have  some  idea  that  He  exists,  and  are  constantly  sending 
all  kinds  of  petitions  to  Him ;  but  for  some  reason  He  sends  no 
word  back.  No  messengers  are  dispatched  to  the  petitioners 
to  give  them  any  counsel  upon  any  subject.  It  has  become  a 
very  popular  thing  to  send  daily  petitions  to  the  King,  and  to 
appropriate  one  day  out  of  seven  for  the  especial  purpose  of 
sending  in  their  petitions.  The  same  petitions  are  frequently 
sent  a  great  number  of  times.  It  is  very  unpopular  however 
for  any  one  to  expect  the  King  to  make  any  reply  to  any 
petitions  sent  in.  Any  one  pretending  to  have  received  a  reply 
would  be  counted  a  base  impostor;  for,  say  they,  the  King 
has  spoken  to  no  one  for  the  last  seventeen  hundred  years  ;  no 
one  has  heard  from  Him  since  He  conversed  with  His  servant 
John  on  the  isle  of  P9,tmos.  The  King  conversed  very  freely 
with  His  subjects  in  the  early  and  middle  ages;  and  some  think 
it  very  strange  that  He  has  been  silent  so  long.  They  have 
expended  millions  in  building  many  costly  and  magnificent 
churches  in  honor  of  His  name;  but  yet  He  has  not  deigned 
to  grace  one  of  them  with  a  visit,  neither  has  He  condescended 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  45 

to  send  any  tidings  to  them  by  a  messenger  or  otherwise.  He 
has  not  informed  them  whether  He  was  pleased  or  displeased 
with  their  splendid  edifices.  His  profound  silence  for  so  many 
centuries  has  caused  many  to  think,  that  He  was,  for  some 
reason,  very  angry  with  the  people ;  yet  they  could  not  see  why 
He  should  be  angry  when  the  people  were  doing  so  much  honor 
to  Him — when  they  were  expending  millions  to  hire  learned 
men  to  preach  and  write  in  such  an  eloquent  manner  about  Him. 

Reader,  can  you  tell  why  the  King  should  be  so  distant? 
Why  He  holds  no  communication  with  any  of  the  people? 
Why  He  has  not  sent  one  sentence  of  consolation  or  counsel  to 
them?  Why  He  has  suffered  some  fifteen  thousand  millions 
of  the  human  race  to  fall  into  their  graves,  in  the  latter  ages 
without  condescending  to  speak  one  word  to  any  of  them? 
There  must  be  some  cause  for  all  this.  There  must  be  some- 
thing wrong.  The  King  never  formerly  served  His  people  in 
this  manner;  and  when  He  went  away,  He  left  word  that  if 
any  of  His  people  lacked  wisdom  or  knowledge  on  any  subject, 
they  should  send  in  their  petition  to  Him,  and  He  would  liber- 
ally send  them  the  requisite  information. 

I  will  now  tell  you  the  reason  why  the  King  has  kept  silence 
so  long.  It  is  because  He  has  had  no '  subjects  to  converse 
with ;  all  have  turned  away  from  Him  and  advocated  other 
governments  as  being  the  rightful  and  legal  authority.  They 
killed  off,  and  utterly  destroyed,  every  true  subject  of  His 
kingdom,  and  left  not  a  vestige  of  it  upon  the  earth ;  and,  to 
add  to  their  guilt  and  wickedness,  they  have  introduced  idolatry 
in  its  worst  forms,  and  utterly  turned  away  from  the  true  and 
living  Grod.  They  have  introduced  a  God  without  body, 
PARTS  or  PASSIONS.  They  have  had  the  audacity  to  call  this 
newly-invented  god  by  the  same  name  as  the  God  of  the 
ancient  saints,  although  there  is  not  the  least  resemblance 
between  them.  Indeed  there  could  be  no  resemblance  between 
them ;  for  a  bodiless  god,  without  parts  or  passions,  could 
resemble  nothing  in  heaven,  on  earth,  or  in  hell.  This  imagi- 
nary modern  god  has  become  exceedingly  popular.  It  is  to 
him  that  a  vast  number  of  churches  have  been  erected.  It  is 
not  to  the  true  and  living  God  that  they  send  forth  petitions, 
but  it  is  to  this  imaginary  being.     No  wonder  that  they  have 


46  THE  KlNGDO]^  OF  GOD. 

received  no  communication  from  him !  no  wonder  he  has  not 
honored  them  with  a  visit.  As  he  has  no  parts,  he  could 
neither  be  felt  nor  seen  if  he  should  visit  them.  Such  a  being 
could  not  speak,  for  he  has  no  "parts"  to  speak  with. 

There  have  been  various  species  of  idolatry  in  different  ages 
of  the  world.  The  sun,  moon,  stars,  beasts,  crocodiles,  fright- 
ful serpents,  images  of  wood,  of  stone,  and  of  brass,  have  been 
erected  into  gods,  and  worshiped  by  inn\imerable  multitudes. 
But  the  system  of  idolatry,  invented  by  modern  Christianity, 
far  surpasses  in  absurdity  anything  that  we  have  ever  heard  of 
One  of  the  celebrated  worshipers  of  this  newly- discovered 
god,  in  his  "Physical  Theory  of  another  Life,"  says,  "A  dis- 
embodied spirit,  or,  we  would  rather  say,  an  unembodied 
spirit,  or  sheer  mind,  is  nowhere.  Place  is  a  relation  belong- 
ing to  extension ;  and  extension  is  a  property  of  matter  ;  but 
that  which  is  wholly  abstracted  from  matter,  and  in  speaking 
x>f  which  we  deny  that  it  has  any  property  in  common  there- 
with, can  in  itself  be  subject  to  nOne  of  its  conditions ;  and  we 
might  as  well  say  of  a  pure  spirit  that  it  is  hard,  heavy,  or  red, 
or  that  it  is  a  cubic  foot  in  demensions,  as  say  that  it  is  here  or 
there.  It  is  only  in  a  popular  and  improper  sense  that  any 
such  affirmation  is  niade  concerning  the  Infinite  Spirit,  or  that 
we  speak  of  God  as  everywhere  present.  God  is  in  every  place 
in  a  sense,  altogether  incomprehensible  by  finite  minds,  inas- 
much as  His  relation  to  space  and  extension  is  peculiar  to 
infiinitude.  Using  the  terms  as  we  use  them  of  ourselves,  God 
is  not  here  or  there^  any  more  than  he  exists  now  and  then. ' '  This 
species  of  idolatry,  according  to  the  foregoing  quotations, 
approaches  so  near  to  Atheism,  that  no  one  can  tell  "the  diff'er- 
ence.  Reader,  can  you  see  the  difference  ?  A  god  without  a 
body!  A  god  ^ ^without parts!"  A  god  that  cannot  be  here 
or  there!  A  god  that  is  nowhere!  A  god  that  cannot 
exist  NOW  and  then  !  A  god  that  exists  in  no  time  !  A 
god  that  has  no  extension — no  '"''parts" — no  conceivable  relation 
to  time  or  spacel  0,  blush  for  modern  Christianity! — a  pious 
name  for  Atheism  !  Some,  perhaps,  may  think  that  I  have 
not  sufficient  charity.  But  why  should  I  have  charity  for  a  god 
that  has  no  parts — no  relation  to  space  ?  Let  him  first  have 
charity  for  himself     But  this  would  be  impossible ;  for  he  is  a 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  47 

god  without  passions.  He  can  have  uo  charity  nor  love  for 
himself  nor  any  one  else.  There  is  no  danger  of  offending 
him ;  for  a  passionless  god  is  not  capable  of  anger.  One  of 
the  persons  of  this  imaginary  god  is  said  to  have  been  crucified. 
But  this  must  be  a  sad  mistake ;  for  it  would  be  impossible  to 
crucify  a  portion  of  something  that  had  no  parts.  The 
reason,  then,  why  the  people  have  not  received  any  word  from 
the  Great  King,  is  because  they  have  petitioned  the  wrong 
god.  Would  you  expect  her  majesty,  the  queen  of  England, 
to  answer  your  petition  if  it  were  directed  to  some  African 
prince?  Would  you  expect  the  God  of  heaven  to  answer  a 
petition  that  was  addressed  to  a  Hindoo  god?  If,  then,  your 
petitions  are  addressed  to  the  bodiless,  passionless  god  of 
modern  Christianity,  you  must  not  be  surprised  if  the  true  God 
does  not  pay  any  attention  to  them.  You  need  not  expect  that 
the  true  God  will  make  any  reply  to  petitions  offered  to  any 
other  being. 

The  true  God  exists  both  in  time  and  in  space,  and  has  as 
much  relation  to  them  as  man  or  any  other  being.  He  has 
extension,  and  form,  and  dimensions,  as  well  as  man.  He  occu- 
pies space ;  has  a  body,  parts,  and  passions ;  can  go  from  place 
to  place — can  eat,  drink,  and  talk,  as  well  as  man.  Man 
resembles  Him  in  the  features  and  form  of  his  body,  and  he 
does  not  differ  materially  in  size.  When  He  has  been  seen 
among  men.  He  has  been  pronounced,  even  by  the  wicked,  as 
one  of  their  own  species.  So  much  did  He  look  like  man,  that 
some  supposed  Him  to  be  the  carpenter's  son.  Like  man,  He 
had  a  Father ;  and  He  was  the  express,  image  of  the  person  of 
the  Father.  The  two  persons  were  as  much  alike  in  form,  in 
size,  and  in  every  other  respect  as  fathers  and  sons  are  of  the 
human  race;  indeed,  the  human  race  are  His  offspring.^ 
made  in  His  likeness  and  image,  not  after  His  moral  image,  but 
after  the  image  of  His  person.  There  is  no  such  thing  as 
moral  image.  Such  an  image  cannot  exist.  Morality  is  a  pro- 
perty of  some  being  or  substance.  A  property  without  a  sub- 
stance or  being  to  which  it  appertains  is  inconceivable.  A  pro- 
perty can  never  have  figure,  shape,  or  image  of  any  kind. 
Hence,  a  moral  image  never  had  an  existence  except  in  the 
brains  of  modern  idolators. 
ti* 


48  TSE  KINGDOM  OF  COD. 

The  Godhead  consists  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  Father  is  a  material  being.  The  substance  of 
which  He  is  composed  is  wholly  material.  It  is  a  substance 
widely  different,  in  some  respects,  from  the  various  substances 
with  which  we  are  more  immediately  acquainted.  In  other 
respects  it  is  precisely  like  all  other  materials.  The  substance 
of  His  person  occupies  space  the  same  as  other  matter.  It  has 
solidity,  length,  breadth,  and  thickness,  like  all  other  matter. 
The  elementary  materials  of  His  body  are  not  susceptible  of 
occupying,  at  the  same  time,  the  same  identical  space  with  other 
uiatter.  The  substance  of  His  person,  like  other  matter,  can- 
not be  in  two  places  at  the  same  instant.  It  also  requires  time 
fop  Him  to  transport  Himself  from  place  to  place.  It  matters 
not  how  great  the  velocity  of  His  movements,  time  is  an  essen- 
tial ingredient  to  all  motion,  whether  rapid  or  slow.  It  differs 
from  other  matter  in  the  superiority  of  i^s  powers,  being  intel- 
ligent, all  wise,  and  possessing  the  power  of  self-motion  to  a 
far  greater  extent  than  the  coarser  materials  of  nature.  "Clod 
is  a  spirit.'^  But  that  does  not  make  Him  an  immaterial  being 
— a  being  that  has  no  properties  in  common  with  matter.  The 
expression  an  immaterial  heing^  is  a  contradiction  in  terms. 
Immateriality  is  only  another  name  for  nothing.  It  is  the  negative 
of  all  existence.  A  spirit  is  as  much  matter  as  oxygen  or 
hydrogen.  It  has  many  properties  in  common  with  all  other 
matter.  Chemists  have  discovered  between  fifty  and  sixty 
kinds  of  matter ;  and  each  kind  has  some  properties  in  com- 
mon with  all  other  matter,  and  some  properties  peculiar  to 
itself  which  the  others  do  not  inherit.  Now,  no  chemist,  in 
classifying  his  substances,  would  presume  to  say — This  sub- 
stance is  material,  but  that  one  is  iuimaterial,  because  it  differs 
in  some  respects  from  the  first.  He  would  call  them  all  mate- 
rial, though  they  in  some  respect  differed  widely.  So  the  sub- 
stance called  spirit  is  material,  though  it  differs  in  a  remark- 
able degree  from  other  substances.  It  is  only  the  addition  of 
another  element  of  a  more  powerful  nature  than  any  yet  dis- 
covered. He  is  not  a  being  "without  parts,''  as  modern  idol- 
ators  teach ;  for  every  whole  is  made  up  of  parts.  The  whole 
person  of  the  Father  consists  of  innumerable  parts ;  and  each 
part  is  so  situated  as  to  bear  certain  relations  of  distance  to 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  40 

every  other  part.  There  must  also  be,  to  a  certain  degree,  a 
freedom  of  motion  among  these  parts,  which  is  an  essential 
condition  to  the  movement  of  His  limbs,  without  which  He 
could  only  move  as  a  whole. 

All  the  foregoing  statements  in  relation  to  the  person  of  the 
Father,  are  equally  applicable  to  the  person  of  the  Son. 

The  Holy  Spirit  being  one  part  of  the  Grodhead,  is  also  a 
material  substance,  of  the  same  nature  and  properties  in  many 
respects,  as  the  spirits  of  the  Father  and  Son,  It  exists  in  vast 
immeasurable  quantities  in  connection  with  all  material  worlds. 
This  is  called  God  in  the  scriptures,  as  well  as  the  Father  and 
Son.  Grod  the  Father  and  Grod  the  Son  cannot  be  everywhere 
present;  indeed  they  cannot  be  even  in  two  places  at  the  same 
instant ;  but  Grod  the  Holy  Spirit  is  omnipresent — it  extends 
through  all  space,  intermingling  with  all  other  matter,  yet  no 
one  atom  of  the  Holy  Spirit  can  be  in  two  places  at  the  same 
instant,  which  in  all  cases  is  an  absolute  impossiblity.  It  must 
exist  in  inexhaustible  quantities,  which  is  the  only  possible  way 
for  any  substance  to  be  omnipresent.  All  the  innumerable 
phenomena  of  universal  nature  are  produced  in  their  origin 
by  the  actual  presence  of  this  intelligent,  all-wise,  and  all- 
powerful  material  substance  called  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  the 
most  active  matter  in  the  universe,  producing  all  its  operations 
according  to  fixed  definite  laws  enacted  by  itself,  in  conjunction 
with  the  Father  and  Son.  What  are  called  the  laws  of  nature 
are  nothing  more  or  less  than  the  fixed  method  by  which  this 
spiritual  matter  operates.  Each  atom  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
intelligent,  and,  like  all  other  matter,  has  solidity,  form,  and 
size,  and  occupies  space.  Two  atoms  of  this  Spirit  cannot 
occupy  the  same  space  at  the  same  time,  neither  can  one  atom, 
as  before  stated,  occupy  two  separate  spaces,  at  the 
same  time.  In  all  these  respects  it  does  not  differ 
in  the  least  from  all  other  matter.  Its  distinguishing 
characteristics  from  other  matter  are  its  almighty 
powers  and  infinite  wisdom,  and  many  other  glorious  attributes 
which  other  materials  do  not  possess.  If  several  of  the  atoms 
of  this  Spirit  should  unite  themselves  together  into  the  form  of 
a  person,  then  this  person  of  the  Holy  Spirit  would  be  subject 
to  the  same  necessity  as  the  two  other  persons  of  the  Godhead, 


50  THE  KINGPOM  OF   GOD. 

that  is,  it  could  not  be  everywhere  present.  No  finite  number  of 
atoms  can  be  omnipresent ;  an  infinite  number  of  atoms  is 
requisite  to  be  everywhere  in  infinite  space.  Two  persons  receiv- 
ing the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  do  not  each  receive  at  the  same 
time  the  same  identical  particles,  though  they  each  receive  a 
substance  exactly  similar  in  kind.  It  would  be  as  impossible 
for  each  to  receive  the  same  identical  atoms  at  the  same 
instant,  as  it  would  be  for  two  men  at  the  same  time 
to  drink  the  same  identical  pint  of  water.  It  is  these  three 
all-powerful  substances  that  stand  at  the  head  of  all  legal  gov- 
ernment. All  governments,  not  established  by  these  three, 
will  be  ere  long  overthrown.  They  hold  the  supreme  authority 
and  power  in  heaven,  and  in  the  heaven  of  heavens,  and 
throughout  the  wide  expanse  of  universal  nature.  All  principa- 
lities, powers,  and  kingdoms,  whether  in  heaven  or  on  earth, 
must  yield  to  be  instructed  and  controlled  by  the  supreme 
power,  or  they  cannot  stand. 

Second. — The  character  and  requisite  qualifications  of  the 
subordinate  officers  in  the  kingdom  of  God  are  now  to  be  con- 
sidered. As  the  persons  of  the  Father  and  Son  cannot  be 
everywhere  present,  it  is  therefore  impossible  for  them  to  attend 
in  person  to  all  the  multiplied  aifairs  of  government  among 
intelligent  beings ;  therefore,  God,  in  establishing  a  govern- 
ment among  such  beings,  has  always  called  persons 
of  their  own  number  to  ofiiciate  in  His  name.  The  character 
of  these  persons,  previously  to  their  calling  and  appointment, 
has  generally  been  that  of  honesty  and  sincerity ;  otherwise 
they  have  not  diff"ered  materially  from  other  men. 

The  various  officers,  called  of  God  to  administer 
the  aifairs  of  His  government,  are  apostles,  prophets, 
bishops,  evangelists,  elders,  pastors,  teachers,  and  deacons. 
God  has  only  one  way  of  calling  these  different  officers,  and  ' 
that  is  by  new  revelation.  No  person  was  ever  authorized  to 
act  in  tlie  name  of  the  Lord,  unless  called  by  7iew  revelation. 
Paul  says  {Heb.  v.  4),  "No  man  taketh  this  honor  unto  him- 
self, but  he  that  is  called  of  God  as  was  Aaron."  Among 
the  vast  number  of  national  governments  now  upon  the  earth, 
where  is  there  one  that  even  professes  to  be  the  kingdom  of 
God,  or  that  its  ofl&cers  were  called  of  Ged  as  was  Aaron  ? 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  51 

Human  authority  and  human  calling  are  the  only  powers  which 
any  nation  professes  to  have.  But  there  are  certain  petty  gov- 
ernments, called  churches,  organized  within  these  national  gov- 
ernments, which  claim  divine  authority,  and  consider  their  offi- 
cers authorized  to  act  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  But  the  great 
question  is,  have  any  of  them  been  called  as  Aaron  was  ?  By 
uew  revelation  Aaron  was  called.  By  neia  revelatian  the  duties 
of  his  calling  Were  made  known.  Have  any  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  or  Protestant  officers  been  called  by  new  revelation  f 
Has  Grod  said  one  word  to  any  of  them?  Do  they  not,  with 
very  few  exceptions,  declare  that  "There  is  no  later  revelation 
t\i2^xi  t\iQ  New  Testament  f  If  the  revelations  contained  in 
the  New  Testament  are  the  last  ones  given,  then  the  persons  to 
whom  they  were  given,  were  the  last  ones  called  of  Grod. 
When  new  revelation  ceases  to  be  given,  officers  cease  to  be 
called  of  Grod.  When  the  calling  of  officers  cease,  the  king- 
dom of  Grod  ceases  to  be  perpetuated  upon  the  earth.  Nothing 
is  more  certain  than  that  the  church  of  God  ceased  to  exist  on 
the  earth  when  new  revelation  ceased  to  be  given.  All  the 
modern  Christian  churches,  who  deny  new  revelation,  have  no 
more  authority  to  preach,  baptize,  or  administer  any  other 
ordinance  of  the  gospel  than  the  idolatrous  Hindoos  have; 
indeed  all  their  administrations  are  worse  than  in  vain — they 
'are  a  solemn  mockery  in  the  sight  of  Grod.  It  is  a  grievous  sin 
in  the  sight  of  Grod  for  any  man  to  presume  to  baptize,  unless 
God  has  authorized  him  by  new  revelation  to  baptize  in  His 
name.  Saul,  the  king  of  Israel,  lost  his  kingdom  because  he 
assumed  the  authority  that  did  not  belong  to  him  [I.  Sam.  xiii 
8-15).  Another  king  of  Israel  was  smote  with  leprosy  until 
the  day  of  his  death,  because  he  attempted  to  administer  an 
ordinance  without  being  called  and  authorized  [11.  Chron. 
xxvi.  16-22).  So  all  the  baptisms  and  sacraments  administered 
by  modern  Christian  churches  who  have  done  away  with  new 
revelation,  are  an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God.  All  per- 
sons who  shall  suffer  themselves  to  be  baptized,  or  partake  of 
these  ordinances  through  the  administration  of  these  illegal 
unauthorized  persons,  after  having  be^n  duly  warned  of  the  evil 
thereof,  will  bring  themselves  under  great  condemnation  before 
God,  and  unless  they  repent  of  that  sin  they  can  in  nowise  be 


52  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

saved.  The  twelve  apostles  were  called  by  new  revelation,  but 
that  did  not  authorize  Paul,  Barnabas,  Timothy,  or  any  other 
person.  Each  one  had  to  receive  a  separate  call  by  new  reve- 
lation for  himself.  No  one  could,  lawfully  act  under  a  commis- 
sion given  to  some  other  person.  All  the  commissions  recorded 
in  the  New  Testament  were  given  to  individuals  then  living, 
and  not  to  any  individuals  who  should  live  in  some  future  age. 
If  any  persons  would  have  authoritj^,  let  ihem  obtain  a  new 
commission  from  God,  as  His  servants  always  did  in  ancient 
times,  and  if  they  officiate  without  such  new  commission,  then 
know  assuredly  that  they  are  impostors. 

The  subordinate  officers  in  the  kingdom  of  God  must  not 
only  be  called  of  God,  but  qualified  to  act  in  their  respective 
offices.  The  first  qualification  absolutely  necessary  for  every 
officer  in  the  kingdom  is,  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  is 
the  most  important  qualfiication  of  all  others.  No  man,  with- 
out this  qualification,  can  attain  to  an  office  in  the  kingdom  of 
God;  it  matters  not  how  great  his  other  attainments  are; 
though  he  has  studied  the  ;icripturesfrom  a  child,  and  committed 
them  all  to  memory — though  he  has  carefully  learned  the  origi- 
nal languages  in  which  they  were  written — though  he  has  made 
himself  master  of  all  sciences — grasped  with  a  comprehensive 
mind  all  the  arguments  set  forth  in  theological  works,  yet 
none  of  these  attainments  will  qualify  him  for  even  the  least 
office  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  unlearned  youth,  who  had 
not  the  knowledge  of  the  English  alphabet,  if  he  were  called 
of  God,  and  qualified  by  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  would 
have  more  power  and  authority,  and  could  do  more  towards 
saving  men,  than  all  the  theologians  and  doctors  of  divinity 
that  the  world  affq^-ds,  unless  they  also  were  called  of  God, 
and  endowed  with  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  No  other 
qualification  whatsoever  can  be  substituted  in  the  stead  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  great  distinguishing 
characteristic  between  the  officers  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
impostors.  Every  officer  sent  of  God  has  a  qualification  that 
no  impostor  ever  had  or  ever  can  have. 

The  first  officers  placed  in  the  kingdom  of  God  are  apostles. 
Let  us  inquire  how  in  ancient  times  this  office  was  conferred 
on  man.     Jesus  said  to  His  ancient  apostles  {John  xr.  16), 


THE  KINGDOM    OF  GOD.  53 

"Ye  have  not  chosen  Me,  but  1  have  chosen  you,  and  ordained 
you,  that  ye  should  g:o  and  bring  forth  fruit. ' '  Paul  informs 
us  {Heb.  ui  1)  that  Jesus  Himself  was  an  apostle.  Holding 
the  office  Himself,  He  had  the  most  perfect  right  to  confer 
the  same  calling  upon  others ;  hence  He  first  chose  them,  and 
then  ordained  them;  after  this  He  sent  them  forth  to 
preach  [Matthew  x.),  "and  commanded  them,  saying,  Gro  not 
into  the  way  of  the  Gentiles,  and  into  any  city  of  the  Samar- 
itans, enter  ye  not:  but  go  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel.  And  as  ye  go,  preach,  saying,  The  kingdom 
of  heaven  is  at  hand.  Heal  the  sick,  cleanse  the  lepers,  raise 
the  dead,  cast  out  devils :  freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give. 
Although  these  apostles  were  chosen,  ordained,  and  sent  forth 
on  a  particuliar  mission  to  the  cities  of  Israel,  with  power  to 
work  mighty  miracles,  yet  there  was  an  essential  qualification 
which  they  had  not  yet  received.  They  had  received  power 
sufficient  to  qualify  them  to  preach  that  the  "kingdom  of 
heaven"  was  at  hand.  But  they  had  not  yet  received  power 
sufficient  to  fully  organize  and  build  up  that  kingdom  on  the 
earth.  They  lacked  one  very  important  qualification,  without 
which  they  could  never  establish  the  kingdom  which  they  had 
already  predicted  "was  at  hand."  What  was  this  further 
qualification  which  these  apostles  had  not  yet  received?  It 
was  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Grhost,  or  the  other  Comforter  which 
Jesus  promised  them.  It  is  very  remarkable  that  these 
apostles  should  have  such  great  power,  and  yet  not  have  the 
Holy  Ghost.  But  hear  what  the  scripture  saith  [Johi  vii.  37, 
38,  39),  "In  the  last  day,  that  great  day  of  the  feast,  Jesus 
stood  and  cried,  saying,  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto 
Me,  and  drink.  He  that  believeth  on  Me,  as  the  scripture 
hath  said,  out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water. 
(But  this  spake  He  of  the  Spirit,  which  they  that  believe  on 
Him  should  receive:  for  the  Holy  Ghost  was  not  yet  given; 
because  that  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorijied.y^  Mark  the  expres- 
sion, the  Holy  Ghost  inas  not  yet  given.  This  agrees  with 
another  saying  of  Jesus  to  His  apostles  [John  xvi.  7). 
"Nevertheless,  I  tell  you  the  truth.;  it  is  expedient  for  you 
that  I  go  away ;  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not 
come  unto  you  ;  but  if  I  depart  I  will  send  Him  unto  you. 


54  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

Jesus  calls  this  Cotaforter  the  Holy  Ghost  {John  xiv.  26). 
After  the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  and  as  He  was  about  to  be 
taken  up  into  heaven,  He  said  to  His  apostles  [Luke  xxivt 
49),  "Behold  I  send  the  promise  of  my  Father  upon  you," 
(alluding  to  the  Comforter  or  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  He  pro- 
mised several  days  before  should  be  sent  unto  them  from  the 
Father  after  His  glorification);  "but,"  said  He,  "tarry  ye  in 
the  city  of  Jerusalem,  until  ye  be  endued  with  power  from  on 
high."  Thus  you  see,  dear  reader,  that  these  apostles  had 
power  to  "heal  the  sick,  cleanse  the  lepers,  raise  the  dead, 
and  cast  out  devils,"  although  the  Holy  Ghost  was  not  yet 
given  to  them.  A  certain  power  was  yet  lacking.  Jesus  had 
commanded  them,  saying,  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature."  But  He  would  not 
suifer  them  to  commenc5  this  mission  until  the  promise  of  the 
Father— the  Holy  Ghost— was  given  to  them.  They  already 
had  power  to  work  mighty  miracles,  but  had  not  the  power  to 
build  up  the  kingdom  of  God.  This,  power  they  were  to  tarry 
for  in  Jerusalem,  and  when  they  should  receive  it,  they  were 
then  to  commence  the  duties  of  their  mission,  first,  in  the  city 
of  Jerusalem,  and  afterwards  extend  their  labors  to  all 
nations.  The  power  to  work  miracles  is  entirely  a  different 
thing  from  the  power  to  build  up^  the  kingdom  of  God:  the 
latter  power,  however,  always  includes  the  former,  but  the 
former  power  does  not  always  include  the  latter. 

We  now  ask,  Where  is  there  a  man.  among  all  the  churches 
of  modern  times,  who  has  been 'called  to  the  office  of  an 
apostle  by  7ieio  revelation?  Where  is  there  a  man  among  all 
the  millions  of  modern  Christians  who  has  been  ordained  to  the 
office  of  an  apostle,  under  the  hands  of  an  apostle,  as  the 
twelve  were  anciently  ?  Where  is  there  a  man  to  be  found 
among  all  the  Catholics  or  Protestants  who  has  been  endowed 
with  even  the  power  of  working  miracles,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
still  greater  power  communicated  in  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost? 
If  the  apostles  in  ancient  days  could  not  build  up  the  king- 
dom of  God,  without  being  endowed  with  these  two  degrees 
of  power,  suiely  no  one  since  their  day  could  be  author- 
ized to  build  the  church  of  God  with  any  less  qualifica- 
tion. 


irflfi  k:ingH)om  oi*  god.        Vv  /->  .      55 


One  of  the  important  duties  reauired  of  an  a^postie  is  to  J^ 
ADMINISTER  THE  SPIRIT.     In  II.  Cor.  iii.  6,  we  read  that  both 
Paul  and  Timothy  were  made  able  ministers  of  the  Spirit. 
The  ordinance  through  which  the  Spirit  is  ministered  is  the 

LAYING  ON   OF  HANDS.     {ActS  Vlll.  and  XIX.        Heh.  VI. )       To 

the  apostles  were  entrusted  three  very  important  ministrations 
for  the  salvation  of  man: — 

First. — The  ministration  of  the  word. 

Second. — The  ministration  of  the  baptism  of  water. 

And    Third. — The    ministration    of  the    baptism    of    the 
Spirit. 

While  Jesus  was  with  His  apostles  in  person,  they  had 
power  to  minister  the  word  and  water,  but  not  the  Spirit,  for 
they  themselves  had  not  yet  been  baptized  with  the  Spirit : 
and  they  could  not  administer  that  which  they  were  not  in 
possession  of  It  was  necessary  that  they  should  first  receive 
the  gift  themselves,  before  they  could  confer  it  upon  others. 
Hence  we  can  perceive  the  propriety  of  Jesus  commanding 
them  to  wait  at  Jerusalem  until  they  should  be  "endued  with 
power  from  on  high;"  for  without  this  additional  power  they 
could  neither  save  themselves  nor  others.  Many  persons  have 
flattered  themselves  that  they  can  be  saved  without  the  assist- 
ance of  a  minister  sent  of  God.  But  this  is  a  vain,  delusive 
hope;  for  Jesus  hath  expressly  said,  "Except  a  man  be  born 
of  water  and  of  the  Spirit  he  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of 
G-od."  Now  as  no  man  can  be  saved  out  of  the  kingdom,  it  is 
necessary  that  he  should  be  "born"  into  the  kingdom ;  and 
this  would  be  impossible  without  an  administrator  sent  of 
God;  for  the  birth  or  baptism  of  water,  and  the  birth  or 
baptism  of  the  Spirit,  require  some  one  legally  authorized  to 
oflficiate  in  behalf  of  the  candidate. 

Reader,  have  you  ever  received  the  Holy  Ghost  through  the 
laying  on  of  the  hands  of  one  sent  of  God  ?  If  not,  you  are  not 
yet  bom  of  the  Spirit.  You  are  not  yet  a  child  of  the  king- 
dom. Know  assuredly,  that  unless  you  find  some  man  who 
has  been  sent  by  the  command  of  God  as  was  Aaron,  and  get 
him  to  remit  your  sins  through  your  faith,  repentance  and 
baptism,  and  have  him  to  minister  to  you  the  Holy  Ghost,  as 
did  the  ancient  apostles — ^you  need  not  flatter  yourself  that 
'    9 


56  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

you  can  be  saved.  Do  not  deceive  yourself  upon  this  all-import- 
ant subject.  Do  not  suffer  any  man  to  baptize  or  minister 
unto  you,  unless  Grod  has  spoken  unto  him  by  the  voice  of  His 
servants,  and  authorized  him  to  minister  in  His  name.  Do  you 
inquire  how  you  are  to  know  an  authorized  man  of  God  from 
one  who  has  no  authority?  I  will  tell  you  how  to  discern  the 
difference.  A  true  servant  of  Grod  will  never  teach  a  false 
doctrine.  He  will  never  deny  new  revelation.  He  never  will 
tell  you  that  the  canon  of  scripture  is  full,  or  that  the  New 
Testament  is  the  last  revelation  ever  intended  to  be  given  to 
man.  He  never  will  tell  you  that  miraculous  gifts  are  no 
longer  necessary  in  the  Church  of  God.  He  never  will  tell 
you  that  inspired  apostles,  prophets  and  other  officers  are  not 
requisite  in  the  Church  now.  He  never  will  tell  you  that  the 
ministration  of  the  spirit,  by  "the  laying  on  of  hands,"  is 
done  away  by  Grod's  appointment.  But  he  will  tell  you  that  if 
you  will  receive  his  message,  and  be  baptized  by  one  having 
authority,  that  your  sins  shall  be  remitted,  and  that  you 
shall  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  hands ; 
and  that  you  shall  know,  by  the  teachings  thereof,  that  his 
doctrine  is  true  and  of  God.  In  this  respect  he  will  differ  from 
all  impostors ;  for  an  impostor  never  had  power  to  minister 
the  spiiit.  An  impostor  dare  not  promise  you  that  you  shall 
be  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  his  hands,  for 
he  knows  that  such  a  promise  would  not  be  fulfilled — he  knows 
that  you  would  detect  him  to  be  a  false  teacher  by  complying 
with  his  conditions,  and  failing  to  receive  his  promise.  An 
impostor,  knowing  that  he  has  no  power  to  give  the  Holy 
Ghost  as  the  ancient  apostles  had,  will  endeavor  to  persuade 
you  that  such  power  is  not  necessary  now.  He  knows  very 
well,  that  if  he  cannot  get  the  people  to  believe  that  such 
power  is  not  necessary  in  these  days,  that  his  own  unauthor- 
ized pretensions  will  be  at  once  detected. 

An  impostor,  like  Simon  Magus,  may  deceive  ignorant 
people  by  witchcraft  and  sorcery,  but  he  can  never  deceive  them 
by  pretending  to  give  the  Holy  Ghost  through  prayer  and 
laying  on  of  hands.  This  is  a  power  that  none  but  a  true 
minister  of  God  possesses;  it  cannot  be  counterfeited  by 
the   devil       The    devil   can    counterfeit   the   miracles   of 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  6? 

Christ,  but  he  cannot  counterfeit  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
G-host.  None  but  the  lawful  ministers  of  Christ  can 
minister  the  spirit.  This,  then,  is  an  infallible  sign  by  which 
to  distinguish  true  apostles  from  false  ones.  But  does  this 
infallible  sign  exist  either  among  the  Papists  or  Protestants? 
Can  any  of  their  ministers  give  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laj  ing 
on  of  hands?  If  not,  they  are  not  the  church  of  God,  and 
their  ministers  are  unauthorized— all  their  ministrations  are 
illegal  and  an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God — salvation  is 
not  among  them.  Not  one  person  among  all  these  societies 
has  been  legally  baptized.  Reader,  are  you  a  member  of  any 
of  these  societies  ?  if  so,  haste  to  withdraw  yourself  from  them, 
that  you  partake  not  of  their  plagues,  for  the  hour  of  their 
judgment  is  come.  If  you  would  be  saved,  seek  after  the 
apostles  and  prophets  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  receive 
their  ministrations,  and  you  shall  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  obtain  eternal  life. 


-^^ 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE  NATURE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  THE  LAWS  OF  ADOPTION, 
OR,  THE  INVARIABLE  RULE  BY  WHICH  ALIENS  ARE 
ADMITTED  INTO  THE  KINGDOM  AS  CITIZENS. 

T  N  our  examinations  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  in  Chapter  I. ,  we 
-*■  gave  the  nature  and  character  of  the  King ;  and  also  the 
qualifications  of  the  subordinate  officers.  We  shall  now  pro- 
ceed to  examine. 

Third. — The  nature  and  character  of  the  laws  of  adoption, 
or  the  invariable  rule  by  which  aliens  are  admitted  into  the 
kingdom  as  citizens. 

Whenever  the  kingdom  of  God  exists  on  the  earth,  all  man- 
kind are  required,  first,  to  become  legal  citizens  thereof ;  and 
afterwards,  to  obey  strictly  all  its  laws  unto  the  end  of  their 
days.  To  become  a  legal  citizen  in  the  kingdom  is  of  infinite 
importance ;   for  salvation  is  only  to  be  obtained  in  the  king- 


58  ITHE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

dom  df  GrOd.  All  other  kingdoms  or  goveraments  will  be 
broken  to  pieces  and  destroyed,  while  the  kingdom  of  Grod  will 
endure  for  ever. 

During  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  era,  the  servants  of 
Grod  preached  and  administered  the  law  of  adoption  both  to 
Jew  and  Grentile  in  all  the  world.  But  the  nations  soon  made 
war  upon  them,  and  overcame  and  killed  them,  and  destroyed 
the  kingdom  from  the  earth;  since  which  time  the  law  of 
adoption  has  not  been  administered  until  of  late.  The  nations, 
remaining  so  long  without  the  kingdom  among  them,  became 
quite  ignorant  of  its  laws  and  characteristics;  hence  a  vast 
number  of  opinions  arose,  and  thick  darkness  overwhelmed  all 
people. 

The  unchangeable  law  of  adoption,  however,  is  very  clearly 
revealed  in  the  New  Testament,  and  may  be  easily  understood 
and  obeyed,  when  there  are  officers  sent  of  God  to  administer 
it.  This  law  was  preached  in  great  plainness  to  a  very  numer- 
ous multitude  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  It  was  preached,  too, 
by  men  who  were  filled  with  the  Holy  Grhost,  and  who  had 
been  commanded  to  commence  their  first  proclamation  in 
Jerusalem.  The  multitude  to  whom  it  was  preached  consisted 
of  Jews  who  had  come  from  all  the  surrounding  nations  to 
keep  the  great  feast  of  Pentecost.  They  were  not  in  the  king- 
dom of  God ;  but  were  all  sinners  in  an  unconverted  state. 
They  believed  in  the  existence  of  God,  and  looked  for  a 
Messiah  to  come ;  but  as  for  this  Jesus  of  Nazareth^  whom 
their  nation  had  just  crucified,  they  had  no  faith  in  Him,  but  con- 
sidered Him  as  one  of  the  greatest  of  impostors.  Peter,  with 
the  rest  of  the  disciples,  commenced  teaching  them,  proving 
from  the  scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament  that  Jesus  was  both 
Lord  and  Christ.  So  great  were  the  evidences,  and  so  power- 
fully did  they  affect  the  minds  of  that  multitude,  that  they 
were  pricked  in  their  hearts,  that  is,  they  believed  that  Jesus 
was  the  Christ,  and  that  their  nation  was  under  great  condem- 
nation for  crucifying  Him,  and  they  knew  not  what  the  conse- 
quences would  be ;  they  were  filled  with  alarm,  and  enquired  of 
the  apostles  in  the  anguish  of  their  souls,  saying,  "Men  and 
brethren,  what  shall  we  do?  Then  Peter  said  unto  them, 
Repent,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  59 

Christ /or  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Grhost.  For  the  promise  is  unto  yon,  and  to  your 
children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even  as  many  as  the  Lord 
our  God  shall  call."  "Then  they  that  gladly  received  his  word 
were  baptized :  and  the  same  day  there  were  added  unto  them 
about  three  thousand  souls. "  (J.c^s  «.,  37-39-41.)  Here, 
reader,  you  will  see  the  law  of  adoption  as  it  was  preached  by 
the  apostles  at  the  commencement  of  their  great  mission  to  all 
nations.  Here  you  have  the  example  of  three  thousand 
sinners  all  complying  with  the  law  and  becoming  citizens  in 
the  kingdom  of  God  in  one  day.  When  they  came  together 
in  the  morning  they  were  all  unconverted  sinners,  but  before 
the  day  had  passed,  they  were  converted  and  made  Saints. 
In  the  morning  they  were  subjects  of  the  kingdom  of  dark- 
ness, but  in  the  evening  they  were  citizens  of  the  kingdom  of 
God.  Whatever  the  law  was  that  wrought  so  great  a  change 
upon  them  in  so  short  a  time,  the  same  law  when  administered 
by  like  authority,  will  produce  like  effects  in  all  future 
ages. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  the  great  congregation  of  sinners 
to  whom  the  apostles  addressed  themselves,  were  required — 

First — ^To  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  was  the  Son  of  God  ; 

Secondly— To  repent  of  their  sins. 

And,  thirdly — To  be  baptized  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

And  they  were  promised  that,  after  attending  to  these  three 
things,  they  should  receive,  first,  A  remission  of  their 
SINS,  and,  secondly,  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  But 
are  these  all  the  rules  necessary  to  be  complied  with  in  order 
to  become  legal  heirs  of  the  kingdom  ?  No ;  there  is  one 
more  condition  which  the  sacred  historian  has  neglected  to  men- 
tion in  his  history  of  the  conversion  of  these  three  thousand;  but 
as  he  has  mentioned  it  in  other  parts  of  his  history,  in  con- 
nection with  the  conversion  of  others,  we  are  not  left  in 
ignorance  of  it.  It  is  the  laying  on  of  hands  of  the 
ministers  of  Christ  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Faith,  repentance,  baptism  and  the  laying  on  of  hands,  are 
the  four  rules  of  adoption.  Remission  of  sins,  and  the  gift 
pf  the  Holy  Ghost,  are  t]x^  two  blessings  of  adoption  vy^hich 


60  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

are  inseparably  connected  with  obedience  to  the  rules.  Both 
the  rules  and  the  blessings  of  adoption  are  the  same  in  all 
ages  and  dispensations  of  the  gospel.  No  man  or  woman 
ever  entered  into  the  Church  or  kingdom  of  Grod  on  this 
earth,  and  became  a  legal  citizen  thereof,  without  complying 
strictly  with  these  rules.  Indeed,  it  is  the  only  door  or 
entrance  into  the  kingdom.  Any  persons  attempting  to  get 
into  the  kingdom  in  any  other  way  are  called  "thieves  and 
robbers,"  and  will  be  punished  as  such.  Let  the  reader  not 
be  startled  when  I  tell  him  that  something  like  fifteen  thou- 
sand millions  of  the  human  race  have  gone  down  to  their 
graves  without  complying  with  these  rules.  Do  not  be  angry 
nor  prejudiced  when  I  candidly  inform  you  that  no  man  nor 
woman  on  the  great  eastern  hemisphere,  during  the  long 
period  of  more  than  seventeen  hundred  years,  has  been 
legally  adopted  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  No  person  among 
them,  from  the  second  to  the  ninteenth  century  of  the 
Christian  era  has  obeyed  the  gospel,  or  has  been  born  into  the 
kingdom.  All  have  been  aliens  and  strangers,  and  such  a 
thing  as  the  kingdom  of  Grod  has  not  been  known  among 
them.  Before  we  close  our  investigations  relative  to  the 
kingdom  of  God,  we  shall  demonstrate  by  the  most  incon- 
trovertible evidence  what  we  have  now  asserted. 

Faith  being  the  first  rule  of  adoption,  we  shall  now  pro- 
ceed to  show  what  faith  is,  and  how  it  is  obtained.  The 
author  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews  says  [Heb.  xi,  1). 
"Faith  is  the  substance  (assurance)  of  things  hoped  for,  the 
evidence  of  things  not  seen."  Faith,  in  a  more  extended 
sense,  is  the  assurance  of  the  mind  in  relation  to  what  has 
been,  what  is  or  what  will  be.  This  faith  or  assurance  of  the 
mind  is  obtained  only  through  evidence.  It  is  not  a  knowl- 
edge of  things,  but  the  belief  oi  things  of  which  the  mind  has 
no  certain  knowledge.  All  belief  is  founded  on  evidence.  A 
true  laith  is  founded  on  true  evidence ;  a  false  faith  on  false 
evidence.  And  in  no  case  can  a  man  have  faith,  either  true 
or  false,  unless  it  is  the  result  of  true  or  false  evidence.  The 
greater  the  evidence,  the  greater  will  be  the  faith  resulting 
from  that  evidence.  Hence  there  are  various  degrees  of  faith 
both  true  and  fi^lse ;    as  for  instance,  when  IJuropeans  first 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  61 

discovered  America,  and  came  back  and  reported  the  same  to 
the  nations  of  the  old  world,  they  had  a  certain  degree  of 
faith  in  their  testimony.  When  the  discovery  was  confirmed 
by  the  additional  testimony  of  numerous  other  witnesses,  the 
faith  of  the  nations  was  greatly  increased:  as  evidences 
multiplied,  faith  was  made  perfect;  so  that  in  process  of 
time,  millions  who  never  saw  America,  believed  there  was 
such  a  place,  without  the  least  shadow  of  a  doubt.  Those 
who  visited  America  obtained  a  perfect  knowledge  of  its 
existence  through  the  evidence  of  their  senses. 

We  will  now  relate  an  example  of  false  faith: — When  the 
American  Indians  first  saw  the  powerful  efiects  of  gunpowder, 
they  were  anxious  to  procure  large  quantities  of  it.  They 
were  told  by  Europeans,  that  if  gunpowder  were  sown  in  the 
earth,  it  would  sprout  up  and  grow,  and  yield  an  abundant 
harvest.  The  ignorant  natives  believing  this  false  evidence, 
purchased,  at  high  prices,  large  quantities  of  the  supposed 
seed,  and  carefully  sowed  the  same ;  but  the  result,  like  the 
result  of  all  other  false  faiths,  was  disappointment.  A  person 
ignorant  of  geometrical  reasoning  may  still  have  faith  in 
many  geometrical  propositions ;  he  believes  the  propositions 
on  the  testimony  of  geometricians,  who  declare  that  they  have 
demonstrated  to  their  own  minds  the  truth  of  them ;  every 
additional  geometrician  who  testifies  to  their  truth  increases 
his  faith,  yet  he  cannot  know  them  to  be  true  until  he  has  put 
them  to  the  test  of  geometrical  reasoning  for  himself. 

If  a  native  of  New  Zealand  were  told  by  some  person  that 
light  travels  with  a  velocity  of  192,000  miles  every  second,  he 
would  consider  the  statement  incredible,  if  not  impossible. 
If  several  respectable  witnesses  should  tell  him  that  it  had 
been  demonstrated,  it  might,  perhaps,  beget  a  very  small 
degree  of  faith  in  his  mind ;  if,  still  further,  some  of  the 
steps  of  the  demonstration  were  opened  to  his  mind,  and 
some  of  the  phenomena  resulting  from  the  velocity  of  light 
were  made  known,  his  faith  would  become  stronger;  and 
pursuing  the  investigation  of  the  evidences,  he  would,  at 
length,  demonstrate  the  fact  to  his  own  mind,  and  his  faith 
would  be  swallowed  up  in  knowledge. 


62  THE  KINGDOM  Or  GOD. 

When  Copernicus  asserted  that  the  earth  revolved  in  an 
orbit  around  the  sun  with  a  velocity  of  ninteen  miles  every 
second,  his  statements  were  considered  visionary ;  but  other 
evidences  of  a  satisfactory  nature  being  adduced,  mankind 
began  to  exercise  faith  in  the  Copernican  theory.  As  the 
evidences  increased,  their  faith  increased;  and  when  the 
evidences  became  demonstrative,  faith  became  knowl- 
edge. 

On  the  morning  of  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  large  multi- 
tude of  the  Jews  who  were  assembled,  considered  Jesus  an 
impostor,  but  after  hearing  the  evidence  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment prophets,  combined  with  the  evidence  of  the  apostles 
who  stood  as  living  witnesses  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus, 
three  thousand  of  them  believed  that  He  was  the  Son  of 
God  ;  the  faith  of  these  three  thousand  was  founded  wholly 
upon  the  evidences  then  set  before  them.  The  faith  they  had 
in  this  fact,  was  not  different  from  faith  in  any  other  fact. 
The  faith  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  Grod,  is  the  same  as  the 
faith  that  Solomon  is  the  son  of  David ;  faith  in  both  of 
these  facts  comes  by  evidence,  and  in  no  other  way.  Devils, 
as  well  as  man,  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  Grod.  Devils' 
faith  is  the  result  of  evidence  the  same  as  men's;  in  this 
respect,  the  faith  of  devils  and  human  beings  is  alike.  But 
abstract  faith  alone  can  benefit  no  being.  Devils  believe  that 
Christ  is  the  Son  of  God,  and  tremble.  Sinners  may  believe 
the  same,  and  yet  be  damned.  Saints  may  have  the  same 
faith,  and  yet,  Judas  like,  become  the  sons  of  perdition ;  the 
angels  of  heaven  may  have  strong  faith,  and  yet  be  thrust 
down  to  hell :  so  that  faith  alone  will  save  neither  devils, 
angels,  nor  men.  Faith  is  essential  to  salvation;  without 
faith  no  one  can  be  saved ;  no  one  can  even  repent  without 
first  having  faith.  If  a  man  does  not  believe  in  the  existence 
of  God,  he  will  not  believe  in  His  revealed  laws ;  neither  will 
he  believe  that  it  is  sinful  to  disregard  those  laws;  he  will 
not  believe  himself  to  be  a  sinner;  neither  will  he  believe  that 
he  will  be  punished  in  a  future  state  for  transgressing  laws 
which  he  does  not  believe  emanated  from  God.  Faith  must, 
therefore,  precede  repentance.  Before  mankind  can  properly 
repent,  there  are  several  things  necessary  to  be  believed:  they 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  63 

must  believe  not  only  in  the  existence  of  God,  but  in  the 
revealed  laws  of  God;  that  is,  in  the  laws  He  has  given  against 
doing  evil.  If  they  believe  in  those  laws,  and  compare  their 
own  conduct  with  them,  they  will  perceive  that  in  many 
instances  they  have  transgressed  them,  and  are,  therefore, 
under  the  penalty  of  the  same.  They  must  believe  that  God 
would  be  just  in  executing  the  penalty  of  His  own  law,  and 
that  the  law  could  not  be  sustained,  or  made  honorable,  unless 
justice  should  be  satisfied.  What  effect,  for  instance,  would 
the  laws  of  England  have,  if  the  penalties  were  never  to  be 
inflicted?  Stealing,  robbing,  murdering  and  the  most  savage 
acts  of  wickedness,  would  sweep  through  the  land,  depopulat- 
ing whole  cities  and  towns ;  that  fair  island  would  soon  be 
transformed  into  one  wide  scene  of  desolation  and  ruin.  So 
if  the  penalties  affixed  to  the  law  of  God  should  not  be 
executed,  order,  peace  and  happiness,  would  vanish  from  all 
worlds,  and  naught  but  the  most  fearful  anarchy,  and  the  most 
direful  confusion,  would  devastate  the  widely  extended 
universe.  Before  sinners  can  repent  acceptably  before  God, 
they  must  also  believe  that  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  has 
voluntarily  suffered  the  penalty  of  the  law  of  His  Father  in 
behalf  of  man.  If  there  had  been  no  innocent  being  to  suffer 
in  the  stead  of  man,  then  man,  having  once  broken  the  law, 
must  himself  have  suffered  its  penalty,  or  else  God  would  have 
ceased  to  be  a  God  of  justice.  Man,  having  once  become 
guilty,  could  not  atone  for  his  own  sins,  and  escape  the  punish- 
ment of  the  law,  though  he  should  ever  afterwards  strictly 
keep  the  law ;  for  "By  the  works  of  the  law,"  or,  by  obedience 
to  the  law,  no  flesh  can  be  justified.  If  a  sinner,  after 
having  once  transgressed  the  law,  could  purchase  forgiveness  by 
ever  afterwards  keeping  the  law,  then  there  would  have  been 
no  need  of  the  atonement  made  by  Christ.  If  the  demands 
of  justice  could  have  been  satisfied,  and  pardon  granted, 
through  repentance  and  good  works,  then  the  sufferings  and 
death  of  Christ  would  have  been  entirely  unnecessary.  But  if 
Christ  had  not  suffered  in  our  behalf,  our  faith,  repentance, 
baptisms,  and  every  other  work,  would  have  been  utterly  use- 
less and  in  vain.  Works,  independently  of  Christ,  would  not 
atone  even  for  the  least  sin. 


64  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

Every  man  must  perceive  that  before  sinners  can  repent, 
they  must  believe,  first,  in  the  existence  of  God ;  secondly  in 
His  revealed  law ;  and  thirdly,  in  the  sufferings  of  the  Son  of 
God,  as  the  only  possible  way  by  which  justice  could  be  satis- 
fied and  mercy  be  granted  to  sinful  man.  Faith,  as  before 
stated,  in  any  or  either  of  these  things,  comes  only  through 
evidence.  The  three  thousand  sinners  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost never  would  have  enquired  so  earnestly  of  the  apostles  to 
know  what  they  should  do,  if  they  had  not  believed  these 
three  things. 

After  the  apostles  had,  through  evidence,  established  faith 
in  the  hearts  of  the  sinners,  they  next  taught  them  repentance^ 
which  we  shall  now  proceed  to  explain.  True  and  genuine 
repentance  is,  to  cease  to  do  evil  and  learn  to  do  well,  confess- 
ing past  sins,  with  a  fixed  determination  to  sin  no  more.  It 
would  be  of  no  use  for  a  sinner  to  confess  his  sins  to  God, 
unless  he  were  determined  to  forsake  them  ;  it  would  be  of  no 
benefit  to  him  to  feel  sorry  that  he  had  done  wrong,  unless  he 
intended  to  do  wrong  no  more ;  it  would  be  folly  for  him  to 
confess  before  God  that  he  had  injured  his  fellow-man,  unless 
he  were  determined  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  make  restitu- 
tion. Repentance,  then,  is  not  only  a  confession  of  sins,  with  a 
sorrowful,  contrite  heart,  but  a  fixed,  settled  purpose  to  refrain 
from  every  evil  way. 

The  next  step  to  be  taken  by  the  believing,  penitent  sinner 
is  to  be  baptized  or  immersed  in  water  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  for  the 
REMISSION  OF  SINS,  by  a  man  authorized  of  God  to  administer 
the  ordinance.  There  are  three  very  important  items  in  con- 
nection with  baptism  which  all  persons  should  well  understand 
before  they  suffer  themselves  to  receive  the  ordinance.  First, 
they  should  be  well  assured  that  the  administrator  has 
authority  from  God  to  baptize  them.  Second,  they  should 
satisfy  themselves  as  to  the  correct  mode  of  baptism.  Third, 
they  should  understand  the  object  for  which  baptism  is  admin- 
istered. 

It  is  evident  that  no  one  has  a  right  to  administer  baptism  unless 
he  has  been  called  of  God,  and  authorized  by  new  revela- 
tion to  administer  that  ordinance,  as  we  have  very  plainly  shown 


THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD.  65 

in  Chapter  I. ,  of  this  treatise.  If  the  believing  penitent  sinner 
were  to  receive  baptism  at  the  hands  of  one  who  was  not 
called  and  authorized,  it  would  be  a  curse  to  him  instead  of  a 
blessing — it  would  be  a  solemn  mockery  in  the  sight  of  God, 
bringing  condemnation  and  darkness  upon  the  mind. 

Second :  Immersion  is  the  only  mode  of  baptism  sanctioned 
by  the  Lord.  John,  the  forerunner  of  Christ,  baptized 
numerous  multitudes  "in  the  river  of  Jordan"  [Mark  i.  5). 
After  Jesus  was  baptized,  '  'he  went  up  straightway  out  of  the 
water"  [Matthew  in.  16).  John  also  baptized  "in  ^non, 
near  to  Salim,  because  there  was  much  water  there"  [John 
Hi.  23).  When  Philip  baptized  the  eunuch,  "they  went  down 
both  into  the  watei\  both  Philip  and  the  eunuch ;  and  he  bap- 
tized him.  And  when  they  were  come  up  out  of  the  water.,  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  caught  away  Philip"  [Acts  viii.  38,  39). 
If  sprinkling  and  pouring  were  baptism,  John  must  have  been 
very  foolish  to  have  sought  out  places  were  there  was  "much 
water,"  and  then  put  himself  and  the  candidate  to  so  much 
inconvenience  by  going  down  into  the  water,  and  getting  their 
garments  disagreeably  wet.  If  a  few  drops,  or  a  gill  of  water, 
sprinkled  or  poured  upon  them  were  sufficient,  why  did  they 
go  where  there  was  much  water?  Why  render  their  wearing 
apparel  uncomfortable  by  going  into  the  water?  Why  did  the 
jailor  and  his  household  put  themselves  to  the  trouble  of 
going  out  of  their  house  in  the  darkness  of  night  to  be  bap- 
tized? [Acts  xvi).  The  jailor,  about  midnight,  brought  Paul 
and  Silas  out  of  the  jail  into  his  house,  where  they  preached 
the  word  of  the  Lord  to  him,  "and  to  all  that  were  in  his 
house.  And  he  took  them  the  same  hour  of  the  night,  and 
washed  their  stripes;  and  was  baptized,  he,  and  all  his, 
straightway.  And  when  he  had  brought  them  into  his  house, 
he  set  meat  before  them,  and  rejoiced,  believing  in  God  with 
all  his  house."  Here  it  will  be  perceived,  that  they  went  out 
of  the  house  in  the  middle  of  the  night  to  attend  to  bap- 
tism. If  sprinkling  or  pouring  were  baptism,  how  much 
more  convenient  it  would  have  been  to  have  had  it 
attended  to  in  the  house  where  he  had  a  good  light  just 
previously  procured,  instead  of  going  out  at  that  late  unsea- 
sonable hour.   The  Jlom^n  and  (Jolossian  Saints  were  buried 


66  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

with  Christ  in  haptism  {Rom.  vi.  4.  Col.  ii.  12).  Sprinkling 
or  pouring  is  not  burial,  but  immersion  is.  Jesus  said  to 
Nicodemus  {John  Hi.  5)  "Except  a  man  be  horn  of  water  and 
of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  Grod." 
Sprinkling  does  not  represent  a  birth,  but  immersion  does. 
Coming  out  of  the  element  of  water  into  a  new  element  is  a 
fair  representation  of  a  birth.  As  in  the  natural  birth,  the 
tabernacle  of  the  infant  is  filled,  quickened,  and  animated  by 
human  spirit,  so  in  the  spiritual  birth,  the  spirits  of  men  are 
filled,  quickened  and  animated  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  As  the 
blood  of  the  infant,  derived  from  the  mother,  is  the  medium 
of  the  natural  life,  or  the  means  by  which  the  union  of  the 
body  and  spirit  is  perpetuated,  so  the  blood  of  Christ  which 
was  shed  for  us,  is  the  medium  of  the  spiritual  life,  or  the 
means  by  which  our  union  with  the  Holy  Spirit  is  maintained. 
As  the  embryo  is  immersed  in  the  fluid  element  in  the  womb, 
and  by  this  means  derives  from  its  mother  the  blood  so  essen- 
tial to  the  natural  life ,  so  a  man  must  be  immersed  in  the 
fluid  element  of  water,  in  order  to  derive  the  benefit  of 
Christ's  blood  so  essential  to  spiritual  life.  As  the  embryo 
must^rs^  be  immersed  in  water  before  it  can  receive  the  quick- 
ening of  the  human  spirit,  so  a  man  must^rs^  be  immersed  in 
water  before  he  has  the  promise  of  the  quickening  or  life- 
giving  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  As  the  infant  is  born,  or 
comes  forth  from  the  watery  element  into  a  new  kingdom  or 
world  of  existence,  so  a  man  in  baptism  comes  forth  from  the 
liquid  element  of  water  into  the  kingdom  of  Grod's  dear  Son, 
which  is  a  new  state  of  existence.  Jesus,  in  the  above  text, 
sets  forth  the  birth  of  the  water  first,  and  afterwards  the  birth 
of  the  Spirit. 

It  is  very  evident  from  the  whole  tenor  of  scripture,  that 
immersion  is  the  only  method  of  baptism.  Several  historians 
inform  us,  that  the  early  Christians  "immersed  the  whole 
body  in  water,"  and  that  sprinkling  was  not  introduced  into 
the  church  until  the  third  or  fourth  century. 

Every  believing  penitent  sinner  should  make  himself  well 
acquainted  with  the  object  of  baptism.  This  ordinance  was 
instituted  "for  the  remission  of  sins."  John  went  "into  all 
the  country  about  Jordan,  preaching  the  baptism  of  repent- 


THE  KINGDOM  01*  OOB.  67 

ance/or  the  remission  of  sins"  {Luke  Hi.  3).  After  tte  ascen- 
sion of  Christ  into  heaven,  the  apostles  commenced  their  great 
mission  to  all  nations,  by  preaching  to  several  thousand  Jews, 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  baptism  "for  the  remission  of  sins" 
[Acts  a.  38).  Ananias  said  to  Paul,  of  Tarsus,  "Arise,  and  be 
baptized,  and  wash  away  thy  sins,  calling  on  the  name  of  the 
Lord"  [Acts  xxii.  16).  Baptism  is  not,  as  many  false  teachers 
now  affirm,  "an  outward  sign  of  an  inward  grace,"  but  it  is  an 
ordinance  whereby  a  believing,  penitent  sinner  obtains  a  for- 
giveness for  all  past  sins.  By  being  buried  in  the  watery 
grave,  the  old  man,  as  Paul  says,  is  put  off  with  all  of  his 
deeds ;  by  rising  from  the  liquid  element,  we  put  on  the  new 
man,  become  new  creatures,  and  should  henceforth  walk  in 
newness  of  life.  Again,  Paul  says,  "He  that  is  dead  is  freed 
from  sin."  If  sinners  would  be  freed  from  sin,  let  them  be 
"baptized  into  His  (Christ's)  death :  "  and  thus,  being  dead 
with  Him,  they  become  free  from  sin,  that  is,  all  their  former 
sins  are  remitted  [See  Rom.  vi). 

The  great  majority  of  religious  people  in  modern  times, 
consider  baptism  as  non-essential  to  salvation.  But  we  ask, 
is  it  essential  that  the  repenting  sinner  should  be  forgiven?  If 
so,  then  it  is  just  in  the  same  degree  essential  that  he  should 
be  baptized,  for  that  is  the  condition  of  forgiveness ;  hence 
baptism  is  essential  to  salvation,  as  much  so  as  faith  or  repent- 
ance. He  that  neglects  baptism,  neglects  one  of  the  condi- 
tions of  salvation.  "He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized,  shall 
be  saved.  He  that  believeth  not  (and  consequently  is  not 
baptized),  shall  be  damned."  Jesus  never  incorporated  any- 
thing that  was  non-essential  into  the  plan  of  salvation.  But 
men  should  live  by  every  word  which  proceedeth  from  His 
mouth.  "He  that  saith,  I  know  Him,  and  keepeth  not  His 
commandments,  is  a  liar,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  him"  (/. 
John  a.  4).  Again,  Jesus  says,  "If  a  man  love  Me,  he  will 
keep  My  words.  He  that  loveth  Me  not,  keepeth  not  My 
sayings. ' '  The  commandments^  words^  and  sayings  of  Jesus, 
must  be  hept  as  well  as  believed,  in  order  to  obtain  salvation. 
Unless  baptism  were  essential  to  salvation,  Jesus  never  would 
have  commanded  His  apostles  to  "Gro  and  teach  all  nations, 
baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 


68  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

and  of  tlie  Holy  Grhost. ' '  A  man  maj"  be  a  very  good  man,  in 
many  respects,  yet  if  he  rejects  baptism,  he  rejects  his  salva- 
tion. As  for  instance,  Cornelius  was  "a  devout  man,  and  one 
that  feared  Grod  with  all  his  house;  he  gave  much  alms  to  the 
people,  and  prayed  to  God  always."  An  angel  came  in  to 
him,  and  said,  "Cornelius,  thy  prayers  and  thine  alms  are  come 
up  for  a  memorial  before  God.  Send  men  to  Joppa,  and  call 
for  Simon,  whose  surname  is  Peter ;  who  shall  tell  thee  words 
whereby  thou  and  all  thy  house  shall  be  saved"  {Acts  x.  and 
xi).  When  Peter  had  come,  while  he  was  speaking  the  word 
of  the  Lord  to  this  man,  and  to  his  household,  the  Holy 
Ghost  fell  upon  them,  and  they  spake  with  tongues,  and  mag- 
nified God.  And  Peter  "commanded  them  to  be  baptized  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord. ' ' 

What  would  have  been  the  result  if  they  had  refused  to 
obey  this  commandment,  and  had  counted  baptism  non-essen- 
tial, like  many  modern  churches  do  ?  It  is  evident  that  not  one 
of  them  could  have  been  saved.  Why?  Because  the  angel 
said  that  Peter  should  "tell  them  words  whereby  they  should 
be  saved."  If  they  had  rejected  baptism,  they  would  have 
rejected  the  "words"  of  Peter,  which  the  angel  said  should 
save  them.  No  one  can  be  saved  who  rejects  baptism.  It 
matters  not  how  righteous  he  may  have  been ;  though  he,  like 
Cornelius,  may  have  given  "much  alms,"  and  prayed  much, 
and  feared  God  and  worked  righteousness  for  years ;  yea  more, 
though  he  may  have  attained  to  greater  blessings  than  the 
present  sectarian  churches  now  even  believe,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  enjoyment ;  though  he  may  have  seen  a  vision  of  angels, 
and  spoken  with  tongues  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  yet, 
with  all  this  righteousness  and  great  power,  he  can  in  nowise 
be  saved  if  he  reject  baptism.  Hence,  faith,  repentance^  and 
baptism  are  three  essential  conditions  preceding  remission  of 
sins.  Each  is  equally  important.  These  are  three  of  the 
rules  of  adoption  by  which  strangers  and  aliens  may  become 
legal  citizens  in  the  church  and  kingdom  of  God. 

Since  the  fourth  century  of  the  Christian  era,  infant 
sprinkling  has  been  practised  by  a  numerous  multitude  of  fals3 
teachers.  By  age  and  long  standing  this  great  perversion  of 
the  apostolic  doctrine  has  become  exceedingly  popular,  until 


tHE  KINGDOM  OE  GOD.  69 

tnany  millions  at  the  present  day  are  carried  away  with  the 
wicked  delusion.  The  apostles  were  commanded  to  teadi  first, 
and  then  baptize ;  but  infants  are  incapable  of  being  taught 
and  therefore  are  not  subjects  of  baptism.  Jesus  commanded 
the  apostles  to  preach  the  gospel  in  all  the  world,  and  said, 
"He  that  6eZie?;e^A  and  is  hajptized  shall  be  saved."  Infants 
cannot  believe  the  preaching  of  the  apostles,  therefore  they 
should  not  be  baptized.  Peter  commanded  the  thousands  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost  to  repent  first,  and  then  be  baptized  "for 
the  remission  of  sins."  But  infants  are  incapable  of  repent- 
ance, and  therefore  it  is  a  sin  in  the  sight  of  God  to  baptize 
them.  "Sin  is  the  transgression  of  a  law."  Infants  have 
transgressed  no  law,  and  therefore  they  are  without  sin.  Bap- 
tism is  FOR  THE  REMISSION  OF  SINS,  but  infants  have  no  sins 
to  be  remitted,  therefore  they  need  no  baptism.  But  even  if 
infants  had  sins  (as  some  false  teachers  assert),  they  could  not 
be  remitted  by  baptism  alone.  Faith  and  repentance  would 
be  equally  as  necessary  for  the  infant  as  baptism.  Either  of 
these  three  conditions  alone,  or  any  two  of  them,  would  not 
bring  remission :  all  must  be  voluntarily  attended  to  by  the 
candidate.  But  the  infant  cannot  voluntarily  attend  to  either, 
therefore  the  sprinkling  or  immersion  of  infants  does  not 
bring  the  blessings  promised  to  the  penitent  believer,  but  it 
brings  a  curse  both  upon  the  parents  and  the  administrator. 
It  is  a  sin  of  which  millions  must  repent  if  they  ever  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Infant  baptism  is  nowhere  alluded  to  in  the  scriptures: 
some  have  supposed  because  whole  households  were  bai)tized, 
that  possibly  there  might  have  been  some  infants  among  them; 
but  how  many  thousands  of  households  there  are  that  have 
no  infants.  The  author  of  this  treatise  has  himself  baptized 
many  whole  households,  but  among  them  there  were 
no  infants,  nor  any  persons  incapable  of  believing  and  repent- 
ing. The  scriptures  inform  us  that  the  jailor  and  his  house- 
hold, and  Cornelius  and  his  household,  helieved  and  r^oiced  in 
the  Lord  before  they  were  baptized;  hence  there  were  no 
infants  among  them.  Some  again  have  supposed  that  the 
baptism  of  infants  comes  in  lieu  of  circumcision ;  but  this  is 
only  a  wild,  vague  conjecture  of  impostors  to  deceive   the 


*tO  THE  KINQDOM  OF  GOD. 

ignorant ;  for  there  is  not  the  least  allusion  to  any  such  thing 
in  the  scriptures.  Baptism  has  no  more  connection  with  cir- 
cumcision than  it  has  with  the  blowing  of  rams'  horns  for  the 
demolishing  of  the  walls  of  Jericho.  There  is  no  similarity 
between  the  two.  Circumcision  is  a  ceremony  performed  only 
on  male  infants  at  eight  days  old,  whereas  baptism  is  a  burial 
in  water  of  both  male  and  female  adults,  who  are  capable  of 
first  believing  and  then  repenting. 

After  the  sinner  has  complied  with  the  rules  of  adoption, 
so  that  all  his  former  transgressions  are  forgiven,  he  should 
next  seek  after  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Grod  has  ordained 
a  certain  ordinance  through  which  he  bestows  this  gift.  He 
has  authorized  his  servants  to  administer  the  Holy  Spirit  by 
the  laying  on  of  their  hands  in  His  name.  For  example: 
"Philip  went  down  to  the  city  of  Samaria,  and  preached 
Christ  unto  them.  And  the  people  with  one  accord  gave  heed 
to  those  things  which  Philip  spake.  When  they  believed 
Philip,  preaching  the  things  concerning  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  they  were  baptized  both  men 
and  women.  Now  when  the  apostles,  which  were  at  Jerusa- 
lem, heard  that  Samaria  had  received  the  word  of  God,  they 
sent  unto  them  Peter  and  John :  who,  when  they  were  come 
down,  prayed  for  them,  that  they  might  receive  the  Holy 
Ghost :  (for  as  yet  he  was  fallen  upon  none  of  them :  only 
they  were  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus. )  Then 
laid  they  their  hands  on  them,  and  they  received  the  Holy  Ghost. 
And  when  Simon  (the  sorcerer)  saw  that  through  laying  on  of 
the  apostles'  hands  the  Holy  Ghost  ivas  given,  he  oifered  them 
money,  saying.  Give  me  also  this  power,  that  on  whom- 
soever 1  lay  hands,  he  may  receive  the  Holy  Ghost" 
[Acts  viii).  Here  we  have  the  most  positive  evidence  to 
establish  the  divine  authority  of  this  ordinance.  That  laying 
on  of  hands  is  an  ordinance  necessary  to  be  attended  to,  is 
clearly  seen  from  the  fact,  that  no  man  or  woman,  among  all 
the  multitudes  of  baptized  believers  in  Samaria,  received  the 
Holy  Ghost  until  this  institution  was  complied  with.  After 
Paul  had  rebaptized  the  Ephesians,  "He  laid  his  hands  upon 
them,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  came  on  them ;  and  they  spake 
with  tongues,  and  prophesied"  {Acts  xix).    Among  the  prin- 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  Tl 

ciples  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ  which  the  Hebrew  church  had 
received,  Paul  mentions  faith,  repentance,  "the  doctrine  of 
baptisms,  and  of  laying  on  of  hands'^  [Hebrew  vi). 

That  the  Gralatian  church  had  received  the  Spirit  by  an 
administrator  is  evident  from  the  following  question  put  to 
them  by  Paul.  ''He  therefore  that  ministereth  to  you  the 
Spirit,  and  worketh  miracles  among  you,  doeth  he  it  by  the 
works  of  the  law,  or  by  the  bearing  of  faith?  "   ( Gal.  m.  5). 

Paul  informs  the  Corinthian  church,  that  both  he  and 
Timothy  were  made  "able  ministers,  not  of  the  letter,"  or 
word  merely,  "but  of  the  Spirit." 

Though  Saui,  of  Tarsus,  believed  in  Christ,  and  had  been 
repenting,  praying,  and  fasting  for  about  three  days,  he  could 
not  obtain  a  forgiveness  of  his  sins  nor  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Grhost,  without  a  servant  of  Grod  sent  to  minister  to  him  both 
the  water  and  the  Spirit.  Hear  what  Ananias  says  to  Saul: 
"The  Lord,  even  Jesus,  thai  appeared  unto  thee  in  the  way 
as  thou  earnest,  hath  sent  me,  that  thou  mightest  receive  thy 
sight,  and  he  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost''  [Acts  ix).  Mark  well 
the  saying;  Ananias  was  sent  that  Saul  "might  be  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost."  Why  not  fill  him  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
through  his  faith,  repentance,  prayers,  and  fasting?  Because 
the  Lord  had  authorized  servants  in  His  kingdom  to  minister, 
not  the  word  and  water  merely,  but  also  the  Spirit. 

We  have  now  set  forth  the  whole  law  of  adoption,  and  the 
only  law  by  which  any  man  or  woman  can  ever  become  a  legal 
citizen  of  the  Church  or  kingdom  of  God  when  established 
on  the  earth.  By  obedience  to  these  rules  mankind  become 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  God.  By  neglect  of  any  or  either 
of  these  rules  they  can  never  enter  the  kingdom.  There  is  no 
other  way  or  plan  under  the  whole  heavens  that  will  save  men. 
Many  try  to  excuse  themselves  from  obeying  this  plan  by 
referring  to  the  words  of  Jesus  to  the  thief  on  the  cross, 
"To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  paradise."  But  we  have 
no  evidence  to  believe  the  thief  was  taken  into  heaven  or  into 
the  celestial  kingdom  of  God ;  for  Jesus  Himself  said  three 
days  after,  '  'Touch  me  not,  for  I  have  not  yet  ascended  to  my 
Father."  Some  have  supposed  that  Jesus  went  directly  into 
all  the  fullness  of  the  Father's  glory,  and  the  thief  with  him. 
a* 


T2  THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD. 

But  the  scriptures  expressly  contradict  this  supposition.  Peter 
says,  in  the  third  chapter  of  his  first  epistle,  that  "Christ  also 
hath  once  suffered  for  sins,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  that  he 
might  bring  us  to  God,  being  put  to  death  in  the  flesh,  but 
quickened  by  the  Spirit :  by  which  also  he  went  and  preached 
unto  the  spirits  in  prison,  which  sometime  were  disobedient, 
when  once  the  long  suffering  of  God  waited  in  the  days  of 
Noah,  while  the  ark  was  preparing,  wherein  few,  that  is,  eight 
souls  were  saved  by  water."  From  this  we  learn  that  instead 
of  Jesus  going  directly  from  the  cross  into  His  kingdom,  he 
went  to  a  certain  "prison"  where  He  found  some  "disobedient 
spirits"  shut  up,  who  had  been  there  over  two  thousand 
years,  or  ever  since  Noah's  flood.  Jesus  preached  to  them. 
Did  the  thief  go  with  Him?  "To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me 
in  paradise."  If  Jesus  went  to  preach  in  prison  that  day, 
the  thief  must  have  gone  with  Him ;  hence  paradise  must 
mean  a  place  of  departed  spirits,  without  respect  to  its  being 
either  a  good  or  a  bad  place. 

Christ,  speaking  of  His  own  mission  by  the  mouth  of 
Isaiah,  says,  "He  hath  sent  me  to  bind  up  the  broken  hearted, 
to  proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the 
prison  to  them  that  are  bound."  This  agrees  with  Peter,  as 
already  quoted.  Forasmuch,  therefore,  as  the  thief  had 
never,  to  our  knowledge,  been  born  of  the  water  and  the 
spirit,  he  could  not,  according  to  the  words  of  the  Savior,  to 
Nicodemus,  "enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God;"  but  he  in  all 
probability  went  that  day  with  Jesus  to  the  old  antediluvian 
prison  among  the  disobedient  spirits,  where  he  had  the  privi- 
lege of  being  preached  to :  that  he  and  all  the  rest  of  the 
prisoners  "might  be  judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh." 
(7.  Peter  vi,  6.) 

If  the  third  "article  of  religion,"  believed  by  the  church 
of  England,  be  true,  then  the  thief  must  have  gone  down 
into  hell.     This  article  reads  thus : 

"III.  Of  the  going  down  of  Christ  into  hell.— As  Christ 
died  for  us,  and  was  buried,  so  also  is  it  to  be  believed  that 
He  went  down  into  hell." 

If  the  thief  went  down  into  "prison,"  let  every  other 
unbaptized  person  beware  lest  he  go  there  too. 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  73 

Since  the  Apostles  fell  asleep,  the  simplicity  and  purity  of 
the  ancient  gospel  have  been  awfully  perverted ;  its  ordinances 
have  been  changed,  especially  the  ordinance  of  baptism; 
while  the  ordinance  of  the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  has  been  almost  universally  done  away. 
No  churches,  either  among  the  Papists  or  Protestants,  have 
taught  all  the  first  principles  of  the  gospel  in  their  proper 
order.  By  this  we  know  they  are  not  the  church  of  Grod. 
Grod  is  not  with  them.  Their  sins  are  not  forgiven  them. 
The  Holy  Ghost  is  not  given  to  them.  And  they  cannot  be 
saved  in  the  fulness  of  the  glory  of  the  Father's  kingdom — 
neither  they  nor  their  fathers  for  many  generations  past.  All 
have  gone  astray — far  astray,  from  the  ancient  gospel.  The 
church  of  Christ  never  existed  on  the  earth  without  inspired 
apostles  and  prophets  in  it,  who  administered  all  the  laws  and 
ordinances  of  the  gospel  without  any  variation  from  the  true 
and  perfect  pattern.  But  the  apostate  churches  now  on  the 
earth,  have  neither  inspired  apostles,  nor  prophets,  nor  any 
other  inspired  ofiicers  among  them,  neither  do  they  consider 
them  necessary ;  and  yet  without  inspiration  or  revelation — 
without  immersion  for  remission  of  sins,  or  the  ordinance  for 
the  gift  of  the  Spirit — they  have  the  bold  impudence  to  call 
themselves  Christian  churches.  But  they  have  nothing  to  do 
with  Christ,  neither  has  Christ  anything  to  do  with  them, 
only  to  pour  out  upon  them  the  plagues  written.  He  has  not 
spoken  to  any  of  them  for  many  centuries,  neither  will  He 
speak  to  them,  only  in  His  wrath,  and  in  the  fierceness  of  His 
anger,  when  He  rises  up  to  overthrow,  to  root  up  and  to 
destroy  them  utterly  from  the  earth. 


74 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE    NATURE    AND    CHARACTER    OP    THE    LAWS    GIVEN  FOR 
THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  ALL  ADOPTED  CITIZENS. 

THREE  important  subjects  relative  to  the  kingdom  of  God 
have  been  already  investigated  in  Chapters  I.  and  II. 
We  shall  now  proceed  to  the  examination  of  the 

Fourth — namely,  Tlie  nature  and  character  of  the  laws 
given  for  the  government  of  all  adopted  citizens. 

After  having  complied  with  the  rules  of  adoption,  mankind 
are  considered  the  legal  citizens  of  God's  kingdom;  and  as 
such,  they  are  required  to  obey  strictly  all  the  laws,  ordinances, 
statutes,  commands,  counsels  and  words  of  the  Great  King ; 
and  in  all  things  show  themselves  the  faithful,  honest  and 
loyal  subjects  of  His  government.  That  the  citizens  of  the 
kingdom  may  be  able  to  render  strict  obedience  to  its  laws, 
they  should  make  themselves  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
them,  and  thus  obey  understandingly.  Persons  ignorant  of 
the  laws  of  the  kingdom  are  liable  to  be  deceived.  They  may 
suppose  themselves  obeying  the  law,  when,  in  fact,  they  are 
only  complying  with  some  vain  and  foolish  tradition  of  men. 
They  are  in  constant  danger  of  transgressing  laws  of  which 
they  are  ignorant,  and  of  neglecting  to  obserye  others  that  are 
of  importance. 

Millions  of  modern  Christians  say  they  take  the  Bible  as 
their  "rule  of  faith  and  practice" — that  the  Bible  is  their 
law.  But  we  ask,  what  part  of  the  Bible  is  the  law  of  God 
unto  man  in  this  age  ?  Is  the  history  of  the  creation  a  law 
unto  any  one  ?  Is  the  history  of  the  building  of  the  ark,  or 
of  the  tower  of  Babel,  or  of  Solomon's  temple,  a  law  or  "rule 
of  faith  and  practice"  for  the  saints  now?  Is  the  history  of 
Abraham's  travels — of  the  doings  of  Moses  and  Aaron — of 
Israel's  wanderings  in  the  wilderness— of  the  wars  of  Israel 


THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD.  75 

under  the  reign  of  their  judges  and  kings— a  law  unto  succeed- 
ing generations?  Is  the  history  of  Jesus  and  the  apostles  a 
law  binding  upon  the  saints  of  latter  days?  Must  we  be 
baptized  in  Jordan  because  John  baptized  there?  Must  we 
ride  upon  an  ass-colt  into  Jerusalem  because  Jesus  did? 
Must  we  scourge  the  people  out  of  the  Jewish  temple  because 
Jesus  thought  it  necessary  to  do  so?  Must  we  build  up 
churches  in  Rome,  in  Corinth,  in  Galatia,  or  in  any  other 
place,  because  the  New  Testament  gives  the  history  of  such 
events?  Is  the  history  of  any  of  the  events  recorded  in 
either  the  Old  or  the  New  Testament  a  law  unto  any  man 
now  living  ?  No,  it  is  not.  The  historical  parts  of  the  Bible, 
then,  are  not  intended  to  govern  the  actions  of  modern 
Christians. 

Let  us  now  inquire  if  all  the  laws,  ordinances,  and  com- 
mands in  the  Bible  are  intended  as  our  rule  of  faith  and 
practice — as  a  law  now  binding  upon  us  ?  Grod  commanded 
Adam  that  he  should  not  eat  of  the  tree  in  the  midst  of  the 
Garden  of  Eden.  Is  this  law  unto  modern  Christians  ?  No. 
God  commanded  Noah  that  he  should  build  an  ark  of  certain 
dimensions,  and  of  a  certain  kind  of  wood :  that  he  should 
take  into  the  ark  a  certain  number  of  beasts  and  fowls.  Are 
these  commands  binding  upon  Christians  now  ?  Surely  not. 
God  commanded  Abraham  to  leave  the  land  of  Chaldea  and 
go  into  a  land  wherein  he  was  a  stranger.  Must  modern 
Christians  obey  this  command  ?  Abraham  was  commanded 
to  oiFer  up  his  son  Isaac.  Is  this  a  law  of  God's  kingdom 
now?  God  commanded  the  Israelites  to  leave  Egypt — to 
walk  through  the  Red  sea — to  pitch  their  tents  in  a  certain  way 
to  travel  in  a  certain  order — to  build  a  tabernacle  after  a 
certain  pattern  which  he  gave  them — to  offer  various  animals 
and  fowls  as  sacrifices.  Are  these  commands,  laws  or  ordi- 
nances the  saints'  "rule  of  faith  and  practice''  in  these  days? 
They  are  not.  God  commanded  the  tribes  of  Israel  to  slay 
both  men,  women  and  children — old  and  young.  Must  the 
saints  in  all  ages  be  governed  by  that  command  ?  No.  God 
commanded  Israel  to  encompass  the  walls  of  Jericho  a  certain 
number  of  times,  blowing  upon  rams'  horns.  Is  this  a  law  or 
command  to  be  observed  now  ?   Verily  no.    Jesus  commanded 


76  THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD. 

Peter  to  go  and  catch  a  fish  in  order  to  pay  taxes.  Is  this 
command  in  force  yet  ?  Jesus  commanded  the  apostles  to 
tarry  in  Jerusalem  a  certain  time,  until  they  were  quahfied  to 
preach.  Must  all  other  saints  wait  in  Jerusalem  for  a  like 
qualification?  An  angel  of  the  Lord  commanded  Philip 
to  go  into  the  south  country ;  another  angel  commanded 
Cornelius  to  send  for  Peter;  an  angel  commanded  Joseph, 
the  husband  of  Mary,  to  flee  into  Egypt,  and,  after  tarrying 
there  a  certain  time,  an  angel  commanded  him  to  return  again 
to  the  land  of  Israel.  Will  any  one  pretend  to  say  that  any 
of  these  commands  are  to  be  observed  now?  There  are 
many  thousands  of  laws,  commands,  ordinances  and  sayings, 
like  the  foregoing,  both  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  that 
modern  Saints  cannot  obey;  indeed,  it  would  be  the  hight 
of  delusion,  and  a  great  sin,  to  undertake  to  obey  them  now. 
Could  any  man  remain  guiltless  and  kill  little  infant  children 
now,  because  such  a  command  was  given  to  Israel  ?  No,  he 
could  not.  The  most  of  the  commands  and  ordinances  of  the 
Bible  were  limited  in  their  application,  and  were  never 
intended  to  be  binding  upon  future  generations.  Many  were 
limited  to  single  individuals,  and  they  only  were  required  to 
obey  them  ;  and  when  once  obeyed,  they  were  no  longer  bind- 
ing upon  those  individuals  nor  any  one  else.  Other  laws  in 
the  Bible  were  given  to  govern  all  Israel  for  many  generations ; 
yet  these  also  were  limited  to  Israel,  and  were  never  intended 
to  govern  Grentile  Christians.  Most  of  the  commands  and 
laws  in  the  Bible  were  given  according  to  circumstances  :  as 
the  circumstances  were  constantly  changing,  so  the  commands 
and  laws  were  constantly  changing  to  suit  circumstances. 

The  moral  law,  however,  never  changes:  it  remains  the 
same  throughout  all  dispensations  and  ages.  The  Lord  com- 
manded Israel,  saying,  Thou  shalt  not  kill,  thou  shalt  not 
steal,  thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery,  etc.  These  laws,  with 
many  others,  never  were  intended  to  be  done  away,  but 
wherever  the  kingdom  of  God  is  established,  these  laws  exist 
in  full  force  as  rules  of  faith  and  practice.  Many  of  the  laws 
of  Moses  and  the  prophets,  and  of  Jesus  and  the  apostles, 
were  moral  in  their  nature,  and  never  were  intended  to  cease. 
The  moral  law,  or  law  -of  righteousness,  has  been  revealed 


THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD.  77 

anew  in  different  generations  and  to  numerous  individuals. 
Once  revealing  this  law  did  not  seem  sufficient,  hence  it  was 
revealed  afresh,  and  over  and  over  again,  in  successive  gener- 
ations. Each  inspired  writer  received  new  revelations  upon 
this  great  unchangeable  law ;  and,  in  addition  to  this,  each  in 
his  turn  revealed  thousands  of  commands,  laws  and  ordi- 
nances suited  to  the  conditions  and  circumstances  of  the 
people,  which  never  were  binding  upon  any  but  the  individuals 
who  received  them,  and  to  whom  they  were  given. 

Connected  with  the  moral  law,  or  the  law  which  is  intended 
to  regulate  the  moral  actions  of  men,  there  are  certain  ordi- 
nances which  are  intended  as  standing  ordinances  in  the  king- 
dom ;  such,  for  example,  as  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
supper,  the  laying  on  of  hands  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  for 
the  healing  of  the  sick,  and  the  anointing  with  oil  for  the 
same  purpose.  It  might  appear  to  some  as  superfluous  for 
the  Lord  to  reveal  through  successive  prophets  and  inspired 
men  the  same  things  which  He  had  previously  revealed  to 
former  ages ;  but  when  we  reflect  upon  the  importance  of 
being  governed  by  righteous  laws,  and  upon  the  frailty  of 
man  and  his  liability  to  forget  God  and  His  laws,  we  need 
not  be  surprised  at  this.  It  is  certain  that  inspired  men,  in 
different  ages,  have  revealed  the  same  things  anew,  and  have 
illustrated  them  in  a  great  variety  of  ways,  so  as  to  impress 
the  importance  of  them  on  the  minds  of  men ;  as  for  example, 
how  often  mankind  have  been  commanded  through  inspired 
men  to  worship  no  other  god  but  the  true  and  living  God ! 
How  often  have  they  been  commanded  through  inspired  men 
to  keep  the  Sabbath  day  holy?  Many  of  the  laws  given  to 
Moses  were  often  repeated  again  in  the  inspired  writings  of 
future  prophets.  Modern  Christians  suppose  that  the  Bible 
contains  sufficient  revelation  to  save  man.  They  argue  "that 
the  law  of  righteousness  is  clearly  revealed  in  that  book,  and 
that  more  revelation  would  be  superfluous."  "If,"  say  they, 
"the  Bible  contains  the  gospel,  why  should  another  revelation 
of  the  gospel  be  given?"  It  is  said,  "if  another  gospel  be 
revealed  it  must  be  false ;  if  the  same  gospel  be  revealed  it  is 
useless,  for  we  already  have  it  in  ancent  revelations."  They 
farther  argue,  "that  if  mankind  in  ancient  days  could  be  saved 


78  THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD. 

by  what  was  revealed  to  them,  the  same  revelations  will  save 
mankind  iu  these  days,"  hence  they  suppose  there  is  no  need 
of  any  more.  This  objection  urged  by  modern  divines  against 
new  revelation  being  given  in  these  days,  might  have  been 
urged  with  the  same  propriety  five  thousand  years  ago  ;  as, 
for  examples,  the  antediluvian  world  might  have  used  this 
argument  against  Noah's  new  revelations.  They  might  have 
said  that  Enoch,  the  seventh  from  Adam,  had  sufficient  reve- 
lation to  save  not  only  his  spirit  but  his  body  also  ;  and  that 
Enoch  knew  of  Christ,  and  prophesied  that  He  '  'should  come 
with  ten  thousand  of  His  saints  to  execute  judgment,"  etc.: 
and  that  if,  through  the  vast  numbers  of  revelations  he  had 
received,  he  could  be  translated,  body  and  spirit,  into  the 
abodes  of  immortality,  why  not  we  be  saved  by  the  same  reve- 
lations without  any  new  ones  ?  Why,  they  might  have  said, 
do  you,  Noah,  pretend  to  give  new  revelations,  when  your 
great  grandfather  Enoch  had  revelations  enough  to  translate 
him?  Cannot  we  be  saved,  as  well  as  he,  if  we  take  Enoch's 
revelations  as  our '  'rule  of  faith  and  practice  ?"  '  'But, ' '  say  the 
new-revelation-deniers  of  modern  times,  "Enoch's  revelation 
said  nothing  about  the  flood  and  the  ark,  it  was  therefore  nec- 
essary that  more  revelation  should  be  given  to  warn  the  people 
of  these  events. ' '  Very  well.  May  there  not  also  be  some  judg- 
ments to  escape,  and  important  events  to  happen  in  our  age, 
of  which  the  ancient  prophets  have  said  nothing?  And  will 
not  new  revelation  be  equally  as  necessary  to  make  known 
these  unknown  events  that  may  happen  in  our  day,  as  it  was 
in  Noah's  day  ?  After  Matthew  had  been  inspired  to  write 
the  gospel,  why  was  it  necessary  that  Mark,  Luke  and  John 
should  be  inspired  to  write  the  same  gospel  ?  According  to 
the  arguments  of  the  false  teachers  of  modern  times,  if  the 
last  three  evangelists  revealed  a  different  gospel  from  Matthew, 
it  would  be  false,  and  if  they  revealed  the  same  it  would  be 
useless,  there  being  no  necessity  for  the  same  thing  to  be 
revealed  over  again.  If  the  revelation  of  the  gospel  by  Mat- 
thew were  sufficient  to  save  men,  why,  according  to  their 
logic,  should  any  further  revelation  be  given  ?  Why  should 
Mark,  Luke,  John,  Paul,  Peter,  James  and  Jude  give  new 
revelation,  after  Matthew  had  given  sufficient  to  save  himself 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  79 

and  others?  But  says  the  false  teacher,  it  was  necessary,  that 
by  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses  every  word  should  be 
established,  and  once  being  established,  there  was  no  further 
need  of  revelation.  In  reply,  we  say,  if  two  or  three  witnesses 
were  sufficient  why  did  He  give  eight  writers  instead  of  two  or 
three?  We  see  no  more  impropriety  in  sending  eight  hundred 
inspired  men^  or  eight  thousand  to  write  more  revelation,  than 
in  sending  eight. 

Besides  these  eight  inspired  writers  of  the  first  century,  vast 
numbers  of  others  received  revelations  during  that  period,  such 
as  the  Prophet  Agabus,  the  four  daughters  of  Philip,  and  the 
numerous  prophets  among  the  Corinthians  and  other  churches. 
Surely  the  Lord  was  not  very  particular  to  confine  the  spirit  of 
revelation  to  two  or  three  witnesses ;  neither  was  He  very  care- 
ful not  to  have  the  same  things  incorporated  in  the  revelations 
of  different  men. 

The  inspired  writings  of  the  first  century,  though  given  at 
different  times,  and  through  different  men,  reveal  the  same 
gospel,  teach  the  same  law  of  righteousness,  and  declare  the 
same  ordinances ;  yet  no  one  pretends  to  deny  the  usefulness 
of  either  or  any  of  these  inspired  writings,  because  the  same 
gospel,  law  and  ordinances  had  previously  been  revealed  in 
some  other  writing.  All  of  these  inspired  writings  are  con- 
sidered valuable,  because  they  contain,  not  a  different  gospel  or 
law,  but  different  items  of  revelation  which  were  once  adapted 
to  the  different  circumstances  of  individuals  and  churches  to 
whom  they  were  given.  These  ever  varying  items  of  revela- 
tion are  valuable,  not  as  a  law  or  rule  for  the  church  in  these 
days,  but  as  matters  of  history.  The  revelation  to  Saul  of 
Tarsus  to  "arise  and  go  into  Damascus" — the  revelation  to 
Ananias  to  "arise  and  go  into  the  street  that  is  called  Straight, 
and  enquire  in  the  house  of  Judas  for  one  called  Saul" — the 
revelation  to  the  prophets  in  the  church  at  Antioch  to  "set 
apart  Barnabas  and  Saul  to  the  work  of  the  ministry" — the 
revelation  to  Saul  to  "make  haste,  and  get  quickly  out  of  Jeru- 
salem," for  the  Jews  would  not  receive  his  testimony,  and 
numerous  other  like  revelations,  are  valuable  as  matters  of 
history  only;  for  no  one  will  have  the  absurdity  to  say  that 
such  revelations  are  binding  upon  any  one  else  excepting  the 


^0  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOl). 

persons  that  received  them.  The  history  of  Grod's  revelations, 
ever  varying  to  suit  circumstances,  is  an  encouragement  for 
the  Saints  in  the  ninteenth  century  to  seek  after  new  revela- 
tions, like  the  ancients,  which  shall  be  adapted  to  the  ever- 
varying  and  innumerable  circumstances  with  which  they  may 
be  surrounded.  It  will  do  no  good  to  read  the  history 
of  the  angel  sending  Philip  into  the  south  country  to  preach, 
unless  ministers  can  be  sent  by  revelation  in  these  days  into  the 
right  country  or  field  of  labor.  It  will  be  of  no  advantage  to 
read  the  history  of  the  revelations  given  through  the  prophets  of 
Antioch,  relating  to  the  calling  and  ministry  of  Paul  and  Bar- 
nabas, unless  there  are  prophets  and  revelations  in  these  days 
to  call  men  to  the  ministry  in  the  same  way.  The  history  of  other 
men's  revelations,  callings,  and  missions,  would  be  of  no  more 
advantage  to  us  than  the  history  of  a  good  dinner  would  be  to 
a  hungry  man,  or  the  history  of  the  miraculous  deliverance  of 
the  three  Hebrew  children  from  the  fiery  furnace  would  be  to  a 
man  perishing  in  the  flames.  Callings  and  missions  in  the 
ninteenth  century  require  new  revelations  as  much  as  in  the 
first  century.  The  history  of  others'  callings,  missions  and 
duties,  under  certain  circumstances,  gives  no  knowledge  of  our 
callings,  missions  and  duties  under  different  circumstances. 
As  well  might  we  say  to  a  hungry  man  that  he  has  no  need  to 
eat  in  these  days,  as  to  say  to  the  Saints  they  have  no  need  of 
new  revelation  in  these  days.  If  a  hungry  man  be  told  to  read 
the  history  of  the  loaves  and  fishes  on  which  others  feasted, 
and  be  satisfied  therewith,  his  appetite  would  be  greatly 
increased,  and  he  would  desire  to  eat  for  himself;  so  if  the 
Saint  who  is  hungering  and  thirsting  after  righteousness  be 
told  to  read  the  history  of  the  innumerable  revelations  given  to 
the  ancient  Saints,  varied  to  suit  their  circumstances,  and  be 
satisfied  therewith,  it  will  greatly  increase  his  desire  to  receive 
revelation  for  himself  suited  to  his  own  circumstances. 

"Man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  of 
God.''  This  cannot  mean  every  word  which  God  has  spoken 
in  different  ages ;  for  it  would  be  impossible  to  live  by  all  the 
words  of  God  spoken  to  Noah — to  Abraham— to  Moses— to 
the  prophets  and  to  the  apostles.  Thousands  of  words  which 
God  has  given  could  be  obeyed  only  by  the  very  individuals 


tais  tiNG^DoM  OF  (ion.  81 

to  whom  tiiey  were  given.  No  other  person  could  obey  them. 
Man  is  to  live  by  every  word  of  God  contained  in  those  general 
laws  which  are  given  for  the  government  of  His  kingdom  in  all 
ages ;  and  he  is  also  to  live  by  every  word  which  shall  be  given 
to  him  as  an  individual.  In  the  latter  case  his  circumstances 
may  be  such  as  to  require  vast  numbers  of  new  revelations 
suited  to  his  condition.  These  revelations,  no  doubt,  would 
greatly  differ  from  any  that  were  ever  before  given  to  man,  or 
from  any  that  would  ever  afterwards  be  given.  No  two  individ- 
uals, churches,  nations,  or  generations,  are  in  the  same  con- 
dition ;  not  even  one  individual  is  in  the  same  circumstances 
in  any  two  successive  periods  of  his  life.  Consequently  there 
is  no  period,  nor  year,  nor  generation,  nor  age  wherein  new 
revelations  are  not  needed  among  the  people  of  Grod.  The 
nature  and  character  of  the  laws  given  for  the  government  of 
adopted  citzens,  then,  are  not  only  those  which  are  binding  on 
man  in  every  age,  but  those  new  revelations  which  are  given 
directly  to  the  citizens  from  year  to  year  during  their  own  lives. 
When  new  revelations  or  laws  are  given  for  the  benefit  of  a 
church  or  people,  they  are  generally  communicated  through 
the  prophets  or  other  inspired  officers  of  the  Church.  When 
they  are  given  to  suit  the  circumstances  of  an  individual,  they 
are  sometimes  communicated  through  an  inspired  officer,  as 
in  the  cases  of  Samuel's  revelation  to  Saul — of  Nathan's  to 
David,  and  numerous  other  instances  that  might  be  named ; 
and  sometimes  they  are  given  directly  to  the  individual  him- 
self, as  in  the  case  of  the  revelation  to  Cornelius,  to  Philip,  to 
the  shepherds,  to  the  wise  men  of  the  east,  to  Anna,  to  Simeon, 
and  to  great  numbers  of  others  mentioned  in  sacred  his- 
tory. 

It  may  be  thought  by  some  that  a  doctrine  of  continued 
revelation  is  a  dangerous  doctrine,  calculated  to  deceive  and 
mislead  weak-minded  persons  to  believe  in  anything  and  every 
thing  pretending  to  be  revelations.  But  let  such  persons  reflect 
that  God  is  the  author  of  such  doctrine ;  and  it  is  not  at  all 
likely  that  He  would  establish  continued  revelation  among  His 
people  if  it  were  a  dangerous  doctrine.  Can  the  wisest  of  our 
readers  point  out  a  people  of  God  in  any  age  of  the  world  to 
whom  He  did  not  give  continued  revelations  ?    Has  Gud  ever 


82  'THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOB. 

acknowledged  any  people  or  church  as  His  own  that  did  not 
receive  new  revelations  for  their  own  benefit?  The  danger, 
then,  is  all  on  the  other  side.  The  man  who  does  not  believe 
in  continued  revelation  among  the  people  of  God,  is  already 
deceived  and  has  not  the  religion  of  the  Bible.  By  rejecting 
new  revelation,  he  rejects  one  of  the  great  fundamental  princi- 
ples by  which  the  people  of  God  in  all  ages  are  clearly  distin- 
guished from  every  other  people.  But  the  reader  may  ask,  is 
there  not  danger  of  being  deceived  by  false  revelation?  We 
reply,  yes ;  but  shall  we  reject  the  true  coin,  because  there  is 
danger  of  being  deceived  with  the  spurious?  Shall  we  reject 
all  vegetable  food  because  some  vegetables  are  poisonous? 
Shall  we  reject  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  because  there  are 
many  false  spirits  abroad  among  men?  Shall  we  reject  the 
doctrine  of  salvation  through  Christ,  because  there  have  been 
many  false  christs?  Shall  we  reject  new  revelation  from  God, 
because  there  have  been  many  false  ones? 

Every  faithful,  upright  person  in  the  Church  or  kingdom  of 
God  enjoys  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  is  a  sure  preven- 
tative against  all  deception.  The  Holy  Spirit  knows  all  things, 
and  never  deceives  any  one.  Jesus  said  [see  John  xiv. ,  xv. ,  and 
xvi.  chapters),  "The  Comforter  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom 
the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,  He  shall  teach  you  all  things, 
and  bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance,  whatsoever  I  have 
said  unto  you."  "Howbeit,  when  He  the  Spirit  of  truth  is 
come,  he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth :  for  He  shall  not  speak 
of  Himself;  but  whatsoever  He  shall  hear,  that  shall  He 
speak;  and  He  will  shew  you  things  to  come.  He  shall  glorify 
Me :  for  He  shall  receive  of  mine,  and  shall  shew  it  unto  you. 
All  things  that  the  Father  hath  are  mine ;  therefore  said  I, 
that  He  shall  take  of  mine,  and  shall  shew  it  unto  you^  Per- 
haps some  may  suppose  that  this  Comforter  which  is  called  the 
Holy  Ghost,  was  only  to  be  given  to  the  apostles;  but  Peter 
said  to  thousands  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  that  if  they  would 
repent  and  be  baptized  for  the  remission  of  sins,  they  should 
"receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost;"  and  then  to  shew  them 
that  the  promise  of  this  gift  was  not  limited  to  a  few  thousand 
persons,  he  says,  in  the  next  sentence,  "For  the  promise  is 
unto  you,  and  to  your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even 


THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD.  83 

as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call. ' '  This  passage  evi- 
dently proves  that  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  was  a  pro- 
mise universal  in  its  extent,  embracing  all  mankind  who  would 
comply  with  the  conditions  of  repentance  and  baptism.  If, 
then,  all  mankind  can  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
where  is  the  danger  of  their  being  deceived  by  false  revela- 
tions? Nowhere,  if  they  are  faithful  enough  to  retain  the 
Spirit.  "He  shall  teach  you  all  things,"  "He  shall  guide 
you  into  all  truth."  Oh!  how  easy  it  is  with  this  Spirit  to 
detect  false  revelations,  and  to  be  guided  into  the  truth  of  all 
new  ones !  The  Spirit  knows  its  own  revelations  and  can  tes- 
tify of  them.  Hence,  says  John,  in  one  of  his  epistles  directed 
to  the  saints  generally,  "The  anointing  which  ye  have  received 
of  Him  abideth  in  you,  and  ye  need  not  that  any  man  teach 
you ;  but  as  the  same  anointing  teacheth  you  of  all  things^  and 
is  truth,  and  is  no  lie ;  and  even  as  it  hath  taught  you,  ye  shall 
abide  in  Him"  (/.  John  ii.  chap).  This  "anointing"  evidently 
means  the  promised  Spirit  which  all  the  churches  of  the  saints 
enjoyed.  All  the  saints  were  taught  by  this  Spirit  in  all  things. 
By  this  Spirit  they  could  detect  false  apostles,  false  prophets, 
false  teachers,  false  spirits,  false  doctrines,  and  false  revelations 
without  the  least  difficulty. 

Paul  said,  that  "eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither 
have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath 
prepared  for  them  that  love  Him.  But  God  Jiath  revealed 
them  unto  us  hy  His  Spirit ;  for  tlie  Spirit  searcheth  all  things, 
yea,  the  deep  things  of  God.  Now  we  have  received  not  the 
spirit  of  the  world,  but  the  Spirit  which  is  of  God?  that  we 
might  know  the  things  that  are  freely  given  to  ws  of  God. ' ' 
"But  the  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of 
God :  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him :  neither  can  he  know 
them,  because  they  are  spiritually  discerned.  But  he  that  is 
spiritual  judgeth  all  things"  (/.  Cor.  ii.  chap.).  Thus  we  per- 
ceive that  the  "natural  man  cannot  know  the  things  of  the 
Spirit;"  therefore  he  is  liable  to  be  deceived,  and  to  embrace 
false  revelations,  and  believe  a  lie  and  be  damned,  because  with- 
out the  Spirit  he  is  unable  to  judge  whether  a  revelation  is 
from  God  or  from  some  other  source.  Not  so  with  the  spiritual 
man ;  he  judgeth  all  things,  and  decides  by  the  Spirit  between 


84  THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD. 

error  and  truth.  Neither  the  eye,  the  ear,  nor  the  heart  of  a 
natural  man  has  perceived  the  things  in  reserve  for  the 
righteous ;  but  the  spiritual  man  has  a  knowledge  of  them  by 
revelation.  "God  hath  revealed  them  unto  us  by  His  Spirit." 
The  Saints  find  out  "the  deep  things  of  Grod"  by  the  Spirit. 
The  faithful  Saints  or  the  elect  cannot  be  deceived ;  for  the 
Holy  Grhost  dwells  in  them  as  a  Spirit  of  constant  revelation, 
teaching  them  all  things  ;  guiding  them  into  all  truth ;  shewing 
them  things  to  come ;  taking  of  the  things  of  the  Father  and 
shewing  the  same  unto  them  by  heavenly  visions  and  dreams, 
and  revealing  the  deep  things  of  God  such  as  no  natural  man 
could  ever  see,  hear,  think  of,  or  know,  for  they  are  only 
spiritually  discerned.  Thus  there  is  no  possibility  of  a  person's 
ever  being  deceived  who  follows  the  teachings  and  revelations 
of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  revelations  given  by  the  Holy  Ghost ;  by  the  voice  of 
the  Lord ;  by  the  ministry  of  angels ;  by  visions  and  dreams, 
and  by  the  inspired  ofiicers  of  the  kingdom,  are  the  kind  of 
laws  ordained  for  the  government  of  the  Saints.  By  such  laws 
they  have  been  governed  in  every  age  and  dispensation.  All 
churches  who  have  not  faith  to  obtain  revelations  and  laws  by 
the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  are  not  the  churches  of 
God.  Though  they  may  pretend  to  great  piety  ;  profess  to  be 
Christians;  make  long  prayers;  preach  eloquent  sermons,  and 
meet  together  every  Sabbath  day  under  the  pretence  of  wor- 
shipping God,  yet  if  they  have  not  faith  to  obtain  new  revela- 
tions, and  visions,  and  the  ministry  of  angels,  they  are  not  the 
church  of  God,  and  are  deceiving  themselves  and  others  with 
a  false  and  delusive  religion ;  a  religion  by  which  they  will 
perish,  as  the  scripture  saith,  "Where  there  is  no  vision  the 
people  perish"  [Proverbs  xxix.  lb). 

In  all  human  governments  there  is  a  necessity  for  new  laws 
to  be  given,  and  sometimes  in  great  abundance.  No  one  will 
be  so  wild  as  to  say  that  the  laws  given  one  thousand  years  ago 
to  England,  to  France,  and  to  the  various  nations  of  the  earth, 
have  been  strictly  applicable  to  the  infinite  variety  of  circum- 
stances in  which  they  have  since  been  placed.  Every  one 
knows  that  all  governments  would  soon  fall  into  the  most  inex- 
tricable confusion  should  new  laws  cease  to  be  given  only  for 


THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD.  85 

the  short  period  of  fifty  years.  Every  town,  city,  and  district, 
of  any  extent,  pay  out  their  thousands  annually  for  the  support 
of  a  law-making  department.  If  new  circumstances  in  all 
human  governments  are  constantly  calling  for  new  laws,  why 
not  new  circumstances  in  Grod's  government  also  require  new 
laws  ?  It  may,  perhaps,  be  argued  that  human  laws  ^re  imper- 
fect, and  therefore  new  ones  are  given  ;  but  that  Grod's  laws 
being  perfect,  no  new  ones  are  necessary.  In  reply  to  this  wc 
observe  that  in  human  governments  new  laws  are  not  generally 
given  because  of  the  imperfections  of  the  old  ones,  but  because 
new  conditions  require  it.  New  laws  are  not  often  give  instead 
of  the  old  ones,  but  in  addition  to  them ;  both  old  and  new 
remaining  in  full  force.  The  want  of  new  laws  would  be 
equally  as  necessary  though  human  laws  were  ever  so  perfect. 
So  in  the  kingdom  of  Grod,  the  perfection  of  the  old  laws  does 
not  in  the  least  obviate  the  necessity  of  new  ones  as  new  cir- 
cumstances arise. 

In  all  human  governments  every  law  is  made  by  the  legal 
law-making  department,  or  else  it  is  of  no  force,  and  the  people 
are  not  bound  by  it.  So  in  the  kingdom  of  Grod,  all  laws  must 
come  from  the  Great  Law-Giver,  or  else  they  are  of  no  force, 
and  the  people  are  under  no  obligations  to  obey  them.  If  any 
body  of  unauthorized  men  on  this  land,  were  to  write  out  a 
code  of  laws  for  the  government  of  the  United  States, 
who  would  be  so  lost  to  all  reason  and  common  sense 
as  to  suppose  such  laws  were  legal  and  valid  ?  Yet  there  are 
millions  who  consider  themselves  under  obligations  to  believe 
and  obey  the  uninspired  writings  in  the  "Thirty-nine  Articles" 
of  the  church  of  England,  and  in  the  various  creeds,  cate- 
chisms, confessions  of  faith,  and  disciplines  of  other  sects,  as 
though  they  had  actually  come  afresh  from  God.  The  vast 
variety  of  creeds  and  articles  of  faith  now  in  the  world,  shows 
clearly  that  mankind  consider  that  they  have  need  of  more 
rules  and  laws  besides  those  given  in  ancient  days.  The  neces- 
sity of  more  has  appeared  so  obvious,  that  they  have  concluded 
to  have  more  at  all  hazards.  To  obtain  more,  from  the  Great 
King,  they  suppose  is  entirely  out  of  the  question.  The  only 
way,  in  their  estimation,  is  to  usurp  the  place  of  God,  and  give 
laws  to  the  people  as  He  anciently   did.      To   obtain   laws 


86  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

from  the  legal  Law-Giver  in  these  days,  they  assert  is  the 
highest  blasphemy,  but  to  usurp  authority  and  give  laws  and 
articles  of  faith  in  Grod's  stead,  they  consider  is  all  right.  The 
archbishops,  bishops,  and  whole  clergy  of  the  church  of  Eng- 
land, with  the  king  at  their  head,  thinking  that  the  Lord  had 
given  all  fehe  rules,  laws,  and  articles  of  faith  in  the  Bible  which 
He  ever  intented  to  give,  and  seeing  the  great  necessity  there 
was  for  more,  concluded  that  wherein  the  Lord  failed  in  sup- 
plying the  present  wants  of  their  church  they  would  make  it 
up  out  of  the  superabundance  of  their  own  wisdom.  The 
first  rich  display  of  their  fruitful  imaginations  was  to  invent  an 
entire  new  kind  of  god,  which  no  former  generation  ever 
thought  of  A  description  of  this  god  they  have  given  in  their 
first  article  of  religion.  He  is  there  represented  to  be  "with- 
out hody^  parts,  or  passions."  Such  is  the  first  eflbrt  of  this 
great  body  of  learned  divines  in  helping  the  Lord  make  articles 
of  faith.  When  the  Lord  made  articles  of  religion  in  olden 
times,  He  had  not  the  assistance  of  such  learned  men ;  per- 
haps that  may  be  the  reason  that  this  bodiless,  passionless  god  of 
modern  times  was  not  then  discovered !  Oh !  what  darkness 
the  world  would  have  been  in  relative  to  this  god  without 
"parts,"  if  these  modern  divines  had  sufiered  the  Grod  of 
Israel  to  give  articles  of  religion  as  He  did  in  ancient  days ! 
Had  it  not  been  for  this  learned  body,  the  world  never  would 
have  known  that  the  whole  of  any  thing  could  exist  without 
'  'parts ! ' ' — they  never  would  have  known  the  difference  between 
this  newly-invented  god  and  the  God  of  Israel,  who  said  to 
Moses,  "thou  shalt  see  my  back  parts"  [Exodus  xocxii.  23). 
Let  the  church  of  England  hush  all  their  fears,  for  their  god 
can  neither  see,  hear,  nor  speak ;  they  never  need  be  afraid 
that  he  will  give  them  new  revelations,  or  laws,  or  articles  of 
religion,  or  interfere  in  any  way  with  their  church  matters.  The 
God  of  Israel  makes  His  own  laws  and  articles  of  religion  for 
His  own  church  in  all  ages ;  but  this  modern  god,  having  no 
tongue,  nor  mouth  nor  any  other  "parts,"  has  left  this  work 
entirely  to  his  Right  Reverend  Worshippers. 

Fifth. — The  character,  disposition,  and  qualifications  neces- 
sary for  every  citizen  to  possess. 

4.fter  being  adopted  into  the  kingdom  of  God  it  is  necessary 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  87 

that  all  citizens  should  cultivate  such  a  character  and  dispo- 
sition as  shall  be  most  pleasing  to  their  King.  Whenever  the 
King  shall  give  them  advice  or  counsel  upon  any  subject,  they 
should,  without  any  hesitation,  adhere  strictly  to  that  advice  or 
counsel.  It  is  a  great  thing  to  find  out  the  will  of  Grod,  but  it 
is  still  greater  to  do  it.  God  requires  the  most  perfect  obedi- 
ence on  the  part  of  His  subjects.  We  may  not  always  discern 
the  end  or  result  of  doing  as  we  are  commanded ;  but  this  is 
no  excuse  for  disobedience.  Abraham  did  not  know  the  useful 
result  the  Lord  had  in  view  in  commanding  him  to  offer  up  his 
son  Isaac ;  if  he  had  followed  the  dictates  of  his  own  natural 
feelings  or  affections,  he  never  would  have  attempted  to  comply 
with  this  command ;  it  was  enough  for  him  to  understand  that 
God  required  such  a  sacrifice,  without  waiting  till  He  imformed 
him  of  the  reason  why  He  required  it.  This  should  be  the  dispo- 
sition and  character  of  every  child  of  God,  to  go  with  all  his 
heart  and  do  whatever  the  Lord  requires,  though  he  may  be 
utterly  in  the  dark  as  to  the  purpose  which  God  may  wish  to 
accomplish  by  giving  such  commandment.  Does  a  skillful 
general  reveal  to  all  his  soldiers  all  his  purposes  and  designs  in 
regard  to  the  enemy  ?  No,  he  only  reveals  unto  them  what  he 
wishes  them  to  do,  while  the  result  of  their  obedience  is  often- 
times entirely  hidden  from  their  view.  If  soldiers  were  never 
to  obey  until  they  understood  the  useful  results  to  be  accom- 
plished, they  would  not  be  very  loyal  to  their  officers.  How 
many  there  are  among  mankind  that  would  be  delighted  to 
obtain  a  revelation  of  God's  will  concerning  themselves,  if  they 
could  be  persuaded  that  He  would  not  reveal  anything  contrary 
to  their  wishes.  They  would  be  very  sorry  to  get  a  revelation 
"to  sell  all  that  they  had  and  give  to  the  poor,"  as  Jesus  told 
the  young  man  in  ancient  days.  They  would  not  like  to  hear 
"a  voice  from  heaven"  commanding  them  to  come  out  of 
Babylon,  or  to  leave  their  native  land,  their  fine  farms  and 
splendid  mansions,  and  go  into  a  strange  country  as  Abraham 
did :  they  would  prefer  to  receive  no  revelations  at  all,  rather 
than  be  directed  to  make  such  sacrifices.  But  not  so  with  good, 
faithfiil  citizens  of  the  kingdom  of  God:  they  wish  to  be 
guided  by  new  revelation  day  by  day,  and  year  by  year :  they 
delight  to  do  every  thing  that  the  Lord  reveals  to  them,  believ- 
ing that  it  will  be  for  their  future  happiness  and  well-being. 


88  THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD. 

It  is  not  every  one  that  crieth  Lord,  Lord,  that  shall  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  it  is  he  that  doeth  the  will  of 
the  Father.  Justification,  sanctification,  purification,  and  glo- 
rification, are  all  obtained  through  the  atonement  of  Jesus 
Christ  by  doing  the  will  of  the  Father,  as  made  manifest  by  the 
revelation  of  His  word.  Jesus  prays  to  the  Father  thus— 
"Sanctify  them  through  Thy  truth;  Thy  word  is  truth." 
Reader,  do  you  desire  to  be  justified  from  all  your  sins?  if  so, 
obey  the  law  of  justification  as  revealed  from  heaven,  and  your 
sins  shall  be  blotted  out.  Do  you  desire  to  be  sanctified  and 
purified  from  all  unrighteous  and  unholy  desires?  if  so,  seek 
to  obtain  the  word  of  the  Lord  by  new  revelation,  and  after  you 
have  obtained  it,  either  directly  to  yourself,  or  through  others, 
be  sure  and  obey  it,  and  you  shall  be  made  pure  and  clean ;  but 
remember  that  after  the  word  of  the  Lord  has  come  unto  you 
and  His  will  is  revealed,  and  you  refuse  to  obey,  your  situation 
will  be  much  worse  than  that  of  those  to  whom  the  Lord  has  never 
spoken.  "He  that  hnowetJi  his  master's  will,"  through  the 
medium  of  new  revelation,  "and  doeth  it  not,  the  same  shall 
be  beaten  with  many  stripes;  but  he  that  knoweth  it  not," 
that  is,  has  never  been  favored  with  a  message  or  revelation 
from  his  master,  "and  doeth  things  worthy  of  stripes,  shall  only 
be  beaten  with  few  stripes. ' ' 

When  the  children  of  the  kingdom  pray,  let  them  be  careful 
not  to  use  vain  repetitions  as  the  church  of  England  do  in  their 
"Litany,"  for  they  repeat  the  same  thing  over  again  on  every 
Sunday,  Wednesday,  and  Friday;  the  same  things  are  asked 
for  some  fifty  or  sixty  times  on  each  of  these  days ;  so  that  in 
fifty  years  each  member  of  that  church  repeats  the  same  peti- 
tion something  like  four  hundred  thousand  times.  The  faith- 
ful Saints  will  avoid  all  such  wicked  mockery,  for  it  is  very  dis- 
pleasing to  the  true  God  to  have  such  "vain  repetitions"  con- 
stantly sounding  in  His  ears  year  after  year.  Where  is  there  a 
sensible  man  in  all  the  world  that  would  not  be  disgusted  with 
his  own  children,  or  with  any  other  persons,  who  should  con- 
stantly annoy  him  by  asking  for  the  same  thing  some  fifty  times 
a  day,  for  three  days  every  week,  and  follow  it  up  year  after 
year?  Such  persons  would  be  counted  as  insane,  or  unfit  for  the 
society  of  rational  beings.     How  much  more,  then,  will  the 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  89 

true  God  be  disgusted,  and  abhor  such  nonsense?  Any  being, 
except  a  bodiless,  passionless  nonentity^  would  treat  such  wor- 
shippers with  contempt,  and  consider  them  a  nuisance  in  all 
civilized  society. 

When  the  Saints  pray,  they  should  endeavor  to  find  out  what 
"  they  want  most,  and  then  calmly,  simply,  and  honestly  ask 
for  it  with  an  expectation  of  receiving  it;  for,  says  our 
Savior,  "If  my  words  abide  in  you,  and  ye  abide  in  me,  ye 
shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you."  Do 
not  think  that  you  will  be  heard  for  much  speaking  or  for 
vain  repetitions.  If  you  fail  in  receiving  any  thing  that  would 
be  for  your  benefit,  or  any  that  is  promised,  you  may  know 
that  there  is  some  cause  for  it :  perhaps  you  may  not  have 
been  as  faithful  as  you  ought ;  the  fault,  if  any,  must  be  in 
yourself;  for  Grod's  promises  are  sure.  Therefore  seek  to  find 
out  the  reason  why  your  prayer  is  not  answered,  and  remove 
the  cause,  and  then  ask  again,  and  if  all  is  right  on  your  part, 
you  will  receive  an  answer.  Seek  not  to  express  your  desires 
before  the  Lord  in  great  swelling  words,  to  be  praised  of  men 
for  your  eloquence,  neither  convert  your  voice  into  some  unna- 
tural tone ;  but  endeavor  to  speak  to  the  Lord  with  the  same 
degree  of  sincerity  and  confidence  that  a  child  has  in  asking  its 
parents  for  food.  When  you  desire  any  particular  blessing,  do 
not  let  your  mind  be  wandering  upon  hundreds  of  other  bles- 
sings which  are  foreign  from  the  one  which  you  more  earnestly 
desire,  lest  your  faith  become  divided,  and  you  fail  of  receiving 
any  answer.  If  a  great  multitude  of  things  are  asked  for  in 
the  same  prayer,  the  Saints  are  sometimes  apt  afterwards  to 
forget  some  things  which  they  have  prayed  for,  and  conse- 
quently do  not  look  with  earnest  expectation  for  the  answer, 
and  because  of  this  the  blessing  is  withheld. 

The  great  secret  in  obtaining  favors  from  God,  is  to  form, 
modify,  and  cultivate  such  characters  and  dispositions  as  will 
correspond  in  every  respect  with  the  teachings  of  the  word  and 
spirit  of  Christ.  Condescend  to  men  of  low  estate.  Despise 
not  the  poor  because  of  his  poverty ;  and  when  you  prepare  a 
feast,  invito  in,  ^ ''the  poor,  the  halt,  the  maimed  and  blind ;  for 
they  cannot  recompense  you  again  in  this  life,  but  you  shall 
receive  your  recompense  at  the  resurrection  of  the  just."  Feed 


90  THE  KINGDOM  OP  QOD. 

the  hungry — clothe  the  naked — administer  to  the  widow  and 
the  fatherless  in  their  afflictions — visit  the  sick.  Let  your  love 
abound  unto  all  men :  endeavor  to  reclaim  men  from  the  error 
of  their  ways  by  telling  them  the  plain,  unvarnished  truth  in 
meekness  and  with  sobriety,  remembering  that  you  yourselves 
were  once  in  gross  darkness,  because  of  the  traditions  and  false 
religions  with  which  you  were  surrounded ;  therefore  have  com- 
passion upon  the  millions  of  deluded  beings  who  have  deceived 
themselves  with  the  pomp  and  vain  show  of  modern  Christian- 
ity. Be  upright  and  honest  before  all  men.  Practice  virtue 
and  holiness  continually.  Such  should  be  the  disposition  and 
character  of  all  the  children  of  God,  in  order  to  qualify  them- 
selves for  usefulness  in  this  world,  and  to  inherit  eternal  life  in 
the  world  to  come. 


^-^► 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE  RIGHTS,    PRIVILEGES  AND     BLESSINGS  ENJOYED   BY  THE 
SUBJECTS   IN  THIS  LIFE. 


IN  the  preceding  chapters  of  this  treatise,  we  have  already 
illustrated  riVE  important  subjects  relative  to  the  king- 
dom of  God.  The  next  to  be  considered  in  the  order  of  our 
arrangement  is  the 

Sixth — Namely,  The  rights^  privileges^  and  blessings  enjoyed 
by  the  subjects  in  this  life. 

The  faithful  subjects  of  the  kingdom  of  God  are  entitled  by 
promise  to  certain  rights  and  privileges  which  are  not  granted 
to  the  citizens  of  any  other  kingdom.  All  the  children  of 
the  kingdom  have  the  right  of  offering  up  daily  petitions  to  the 
King.  This  inestimable  right  or  privilege  is  one  with  which 
the  citizens  of  other  governments  are  not  favored.  It  is  not 
only  granted  as  a  privilege,  but  it  is  also  enjoined  as  a  duty 
upon  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  kingdom,  to  plainly  make 
known  all  their  wants,  and  represent  all  their  grievance  or  wrongs 


THE  KINGDOM  OP  OOD.  91 

which  they  may  have  endured  from  the  citizens  of  other  gov- 
ernments. Those  petitions  offered  in  righteousness,  are 
always  favorably  received;  and  the  blessings  asked  for  in 
faith,  if  calculated  to  benefit  the  petitioner,  are  never  with- 
held. 

The  blessings  promised  to  the  children  of  the  kingdom  in 
this  life,  are  wisdom,  knowledge,  joy,  healings,  miracles, 
tongues,  interpretations,  revelations,  visions,  dreams,  the 
ministry  of  angels,  prophesyings,  power  to  cast  out  devils, 
power  against  deadly  poisons,  and  in  fine,  all  the  other  gifts 
of  the  Holy  Grhost  as  recorded  in  the  scriptures  of  truth. 

Many  thousands  of  sincere  honest  inquirers  have  been 
exceedingly  anxious  to  know  whether  they  were  really  in  the 
kingdom  of  God  or  not.  This  is  an  inquiry  of  infinite  import- 
ance, and  one  upon  which  none  should  rest  satisfied  short  of 
a  certain  knowledge.  For  the  benefit  of  such  inquirers,  we 
here  give  them  an  infallible  sign  by  which  they  may  always 
know  the  kingdom  of  God  from  all  other  kingdoms.  Where- 
ever  the  miraculous  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost  are  enjoyed,  there 
the  kingdom  of  God  exists:  wherever  these  gifts  are  not 
enjoyed,  there  the  kingdom  does  not  exist. 

That  believers  might  be  distinguished  from  unbelievers 
throughout  all  the  world,  Jesus  promised  certain  signs  to  the 
former.  He  said  unto  them,  "These  signs  shall  follow  them 
that  believe :  in  my  mame  shall  they  cast  out  devils ;  they 
shall  speak  with  new  tongues;  they  shall  take  up  serpents; 
and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not  hurt  them ; 
they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  shall  recover. 
[Marh  xvi.  17,  18,  19. )  This  promise  has  been  supposed  by 
many  to  have  been  limited  to  the  apostles  or  to  the  ofiicial 
members  of  the  Church  of  Christ ;  but  it  will  be  perceived 
from  the  context,  that  Jesus  made  this  promise  to  every  crea- 
ture throughout  all  the  world  who  would  believe  the  gospel. 
In  the  15th  verse,  He  commanded  the  apostles  to  "go  into  all 
the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature."  In  the 
16th  verse,  He  promised  salvation  to  every  baptized  believer, 
and  damnation  to  every  unbeliever.  In  the  three  following 
verses.  He  promises  miraculous  signs  to  the  believer.  The 
promise  of  miraculous  signs  was  as  unlimited  in  its  nature  as 


92  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

the  promise  of  salvation.  Where  the  one  ceaseS,  the  other 
ceases  also.  Miraculous  signs  are  a  part  of  the  gospel  plan, 
as  much  as  the  remission  of  sins  or  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
ahost. 

The  gospel  plan  embraces  certain  commands  or  ordinances 
to  be  believed  and  obeyed,  and  certain  blessings  to  be  received. 
To  limit  the  blessings  of  the  gospel  to  the  first  age  of  Christ- 
ianity, is  to  limit  the  gospel  to  that  age ;  for  all  the  blessings, 
including  the  signs,  were  to  be  received  wherever  the  gospel 
was  received. 

Nothing  can  be  more  erroneous  than  to  suppose  that  these 
signs  were  merely  given  to  establish  the  truth  of  Christianity, 
and  that  when  that  was  once  established,  they  were  no  longer 
needed.  The  signs  are  as  much  included  in  the  system  of 
Christianity,  as  any  other  blessing  that  can  be  named.  If  the 
signs  have  ceased,  true  Christianity,  of  which  the  signs  are  a 
component  part,  has  ceased.  If  signs  have  established  the 
system  of  Christianity,  why  should  they,  as  a  part  of  the 
very  system  itself  cease  as  unnecessary,  while  the  other  part 
of  the  system  remains?  Why  not  the  whole ayatem  cease,  as 
well  as  a  part  f  Why  tell  the  world  that  Christianity  was 
established  by  miraculous  signs,  and  then  declare,  that  as 
soon  as  it  was  established,  nearly  all  of  its  blessings  ceased  ? 
If  it  be  established,  the  whole  system,  signs  and  all,  should 
continue  in  full  force,  as  long  as  there  is  a  soul  on  the  earth 
to  be  saved. 

If  so  great  a  portion  of  the  gospel  blessings  were  intended 
to  cease  as  unnecessary,  is  it  not  exceedingly  strange  that  no 
intimation  should  be  given  in  the  scriptures  to  that  effect? 
When  the  commands,  ordinances,  and  blessings  of  the  system 
of  Christianity  have  been  once  established  in  the  earth,  have 
we  not  every  reason  to  believe,  without  the  least  shadow  of  a 
doubt,  that  they  are  intended  to  continue,  unless  something 
to  the  contrary  is  intimated  in  the  word  of  God?  After 
Jesus  had  promised  miraculous  signs  to  the  believers  in  all 
the  world,  would  He  withhold  the  promised  blessings  from 
them  in  any  part  of  the  world,  or  in  any  age,  without  giving 
some  reason  for  not  fulfilling  His  promise  ?  Every  believer 
in  all  the  world,  and  in  every  age,  should  seek  after  the  mirac- 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  93 

ulous  signs  with  as  much  confidence  and  assurance  as  he 
would  seek  after  any  other  promised  blessing,  until  Jesus 
intimates  in  His  word  that  He  no  longer  intends  bestowing 
them  according  to  promise.  Until  our  Lord  declares  that  He 
will  no  longer  bestow  the  promised  signs  upon  believers,  every 
church  who  are  not  in  possession  of  these  signs,  may  know 
that  they  are  not  true  believers.  If  true  believers  fail  in 
receiving  the  promised  signs,  they  have  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  they  will  receive  the  promised  salvation.  Modern  Chris- 
tians who  do  not  enjoy  the  signs  of  believers,  cannot  expect  to 
enjoy  the  salvation  of  believers. 

One  of  two  things  is  certainly  true,  either  modern  Chris- 
tians who  do  not  enjoy  the  miraculous  signs,  are  not  true 
believers,  or  else  Jesus  fails  on  His  part  to  fulfill  His  promise. 
If  they  are  not  true  believers,  they  will  fail  of  salvation ;  if 
Jesus  fails  on  His  part  to  fulfill  one  promise,  what  confidence 
have  they  to  suppose  that  He  will  fulfill  the  others  ?  If  true 
believers  learn  that  Jesus  withholds  one  promise  without 
rendering  any  reason  for  so  doing,  what  certainty  have  they 
that  He  will  not  also  withhold  every  other  promise?  They 
can  have  no  certainty  at  all.  Nothing  sure  upon  which  to 
build  their  hopes  of  salvation.  If  one  promise  fails,  all  may 
fail.  If  the  words  of  Jesus  are  not  fulfilled  in  one  thing,  this 
is  calculated  to  destroy  all  confidence  in  the  rest  of  His  say- 
ings. Therefore,  if  they  really  are  true  believers^  Jesus  has 
refused  to  fulfill  His  promise,  and  give. them  the  signs  of  true 
believers,  and  consequently  they  may  expect  that  He  will 
refuse  to  give  them  a  glorious  resurrection  and  an  inheritance 
in  His  presence. 

It  may  be  argued  that  Jesus  has  nowhere  in  His  word  lim- 
ited the  promise  of  a  glorious  resurrection,  and  of  salvation 
to  the  believers  who  should  live  in  the  first  age  of  Christian- 
ity, and  therefore,  these  promises  may  be  claimed  in  all  suc- 
cessive 'ages.  So,  likewise,  it  may  be  argued  that,  as  Jesus 
has  nowhere  in  His  word  limited  the  miraculous  signs  to  the 
believers  of  the  first  age  of  Christianity,  therefore  they  may 
be  claimed  by  believers  in  all  subsequent  ages,  as  long  as  the 
earth  should  stand. 

Jesus  promised  both  the  salvation  and  signs:  both  were 
promised  to  every  creature  in  all  the  world  who  should  believe 


94  THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD. 

the  gospel :  both,  so  far  as  we  can  discover  from  the  word  of 
God,  were  intended  for  believers  of  all  future  generations. 
Modern  believers  assert  that  they  have  not  obtained  the 
promised  signs.  Why,  then,  do  they  assert  that  they  shall 
obtain  the  promised  salvation  ?  Why  suppose  that  Jesus  will 
fulfill  one  promise,  when  He  fails  to  fulfill  the  other  ?  To  illus- 
trate this  subject,  we  ofier  the  following  parable : — 

A  certain  king,  great  and  powerful,  reigned  over  a  numer- 
ous and  happy  people.  His  territories  were  situated  in  the 
most  beautiful  and  delightful  portions  of  the  earth.  The 
land  abounded  with  the  most  valuable  treasures,  such  as  were 
unknown  in  any  other  country.  Nothing  could  exceed  the 
order,  peace,  prosperity,  and  happiness  diffused  throughout 
all  his  dominions. 

At  a  certain  time,  the  king  sent  forth  ambassadors  among  all 
nations,  to  invite  them  to  become  subjects  of  his  government, 
and  in  due  time  to  emigrate  to  his  happy  country.  These 
ambassadors  were  invested  with  power  to  legally  administer 
the  oath  of  allegiance,  and  all  other  laws  and  ordinances 
which  the  king  had  established  for  the  purpose  of  adopting 
citizens  into  his  own  government.  And  the  king  said  unto 
them,  "He  that  receiveth  you  and  becomes  an  adopted  citizen, 
shall,  when  he  emigrates,  receive  an  inheritance  in  my  domin- 
ions :  but  he  that  is  not  adopted  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into 
my  kingdom.  These  signs  or  tokens  shall  accompany  the 
adopted  citizens :  in  my  name  they  shall  carry  a  costly  metal, 
enstamped  with  the  great  seal  of  my  authority ;  they  shall 
wear  upon  one  of  their  fingers  a  choice  jewel  from  my  own 
dominions ;  they  shall  have  a  white  stone  upon  which  shall  be 
engraved,  in  unknown  characters,  a  new  name  known  only  to 
themselves.  All  these  signs  or  tokens  shall  accompany 
them." 

The  ambassadors  went  forth  as  they  were  directed,  and 
many  thousands  in  all  parts  of  the  world  received  the  ordi- 
nances of  adoption ;  and  the  signs  or  tokens  of  their  legal  citi- 
zenship were  abundantly  manifested.  When  the  adopted 
citizens  received  the  promised  signs,  they  were  greatly  con- 
firmed, and  believed  with  much  assurance  that  they  should, 
after  emigration,  receive  the  promised  inheritance. 


THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOB.  95 

Tn  process  of  time  a  great  perstcation  arose.  Many  of 
these  adopted  citizens  were  put  to  death.  Many  others  began, 
through  carelessness,  to  lose  the  precious  signs  and  tokens  of 
their  citizenship.  At  lejagth  persecution  began  to  abate,  and 
the  proclamation  of  the  king  was  received  more  favorably. 
Many,  on  account  of  its  increasing  popularity,  assumed  the 
authority  to  administer  the  oath  of  allegiance  and  the  ordin- 
ances of  adoption,  without  either  seeing  or  hearing  from  the 
king.  For  fear  the  people  would  question  their  authority, 
they  flattered  them  with  the  idea  that  the  king  would  no 
longer  call  ambassadors  by  revealing  any  new  commission,  and 
that  the  whole  work  of  commissioning  and  authorizing  was 
left  entirely  to  their  own  wisdom.  But  it  was  soon  found  that 
the  signs  and  tokens  of  citizenship  were  no  longer  granted, 
although  many  petitioned  the  king  very  earnestly  to  send 
them,  but  their  petitions  were  unheeded.  The  reason  of  this 
was,  because  no  one  was  authorized  from  the  king  to  adminis- 
ter the  oath  of  allegiance  and  adopt  citizens  legall5\  There- 
fore the  king  would  not  give  the  tokens  of  citizenship.  But 
these  unauthorized  usurpers,  who  had  already  made  the 
people  believe  that  it  was  unnecessary  to  receive  a  commission 
by  any  new  revelation,  next  actually  persuaded  the  people  to 
believe  that  the  signs  and  tokens  of  citizenship  were  also 
unnecessary.  Popularity  and  age  soon  established  these  false 
traditions,  insomuch  that  the  people  almost  universally 
believed,  in  direct  opposition  to  the  promise  of  the  king,  that 
the  signs  of  citizenship  were  unnecessary. 

They  continued  to  emigrate  in  great  numbers  as  was  sup- 
posed to  the  promised  land,  where  it  was  expected  they  would 
receive  the  promised  inheritance.  But  as  it  was  absurd, 
according  to  their  traditions,  to  expect  any  communication 
from  that  land,  they  could  not  tell  whether  the  emigrants 
were  permitted  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  and  receive  their 
inheritance  or  not.  Now  the  king  was  very  angry  with  those 
who  had  usurped  authority,  and  had  administered  the  laws  of 
adoption  without  being  sent.  He  was  also  very  angry  with 
the  people  who  had  suffered  themselves  to  be  so  grossly 
imposed  upon,  as  to  suppose  that  any  could  be  sent  without 
some  communication    from  him.      He,  therefore,  withheld 

4m 


96  THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD. 

from  them  the  promised  signs  and  also  the  promised  inherit- 
ance, for  none  of  them  had  been  legally  adopted.  Though 
they  obtained  none  of  the  tokens  or  signs,  yet  they  vainly 
flattered  themselves  that  they  should  get  the  inheritance. 
But  as  many  as  were  found  who  had  been  deceived,  and  had 
not  the  promised  signs  of  citizenship,  were  taken  and  bound 
as  enemies  and  aliens,  and  cast  into  their  own  place;  and 
great  misery  prevailed  among  them — weeping,  and  wailing, 
and  gnashing  of  teeth. 

And  after  a  long  time  had  passed  away,  the  king  sent  forth 
from  his  dominions  one  mighty  and  strong,  clothed  with  great 
power ;  and  many  other  messengers  were  called  and  sent  even 
according  to  the  first  pattern.  And  they  were  commanded  to 
go  unto  every  nation,  kindred,  tongue  and  people,  and  call 
upon  all  men  to  come  forth  and  be  legally  adopted,  and  take 
the  oath  of  allegiance  from  such  as  were  authorized  to  admin- 
ister it,  and  irom  their  hands  to  receive  the  ordinances  of 
adoption.  And  the  king  again  renewed  his  promise,  and  said 
that  the  signs  and  tokens  of  citizenship  should  again  be 
enjoyed,  and  such  should  receive  the  promised  inherit, 
ance. 

Now  these  messengers  went  forth  according  to  the  com- 
mandments of  the  king,  and  those  who  received  them  were 
blessed  with  the  signs,  and  had  much  assurance.  Now  these 
unauthorized  usurpers  who  pretended  to  be  the  servnats  of 
the  king,  and  those  whom  they  had  deceived,  when  they  saw 
the  signs  and  tokens  of  citizenship  again  made  manifest,  were 
exceedingly  angry,  and  sent  forth  all  manner  of  wicked  accus- 
ations and  lies  against  the  king's  messengers,  and  those  who 
had  received  them ;  and  by  these  wicked  means  the  people 
were  stirred  up  to  greatly  persecute  them,  destroying  many, 
and  driving  others  from  place  to  place,  and  from  city  to  city. 
At  length  they  were  driven  forth  a  great  distance  from  among 
the  nations ;  and  there  they  were  nourished  until  they  became 
exceedingly  strong:  the  king  himself  greatly  strengthened 
them  by  additional  tokens  of  bis  goodness. 

The  king's  messengers,  notwithstanding  the  cruelties  which 
they  received  from  the  people,  continued  to  go  from  nation  to 
nation,  and  the  signs  and  tokens  of  citizenship  began  to  shine 


THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD.  97 

forth  with  greater  brilliancy,  which  enraged  the  pretented 
citizens  who  had  not  these  tokens  still  more ;  and  they 
gathered  together  in  multitudes  upon  all  the  face  of  the  earth 
to  fight  against  those  who  had  the  signs  of  citizenship.  In 
process  of  time,  after  passing  through  many  tribulations,  the 
lawful  heirs  went  out  from  among  the  nations  with  power  and 
great  glory,  and  gathered  themselves  in  one.  And  it  came  to 
pass  that  they  built  a  great  city  unto  the  king,  and  he  came 
with  all  the  mighty  ones  of  his  dominions,  and  dwelt  among 
them;  and  those  who  had  fought  against  his  messengers, 
perished ;  and  all  the  earth  came  under  the  dominion  of  the 
great  king. 

Let  us  now  examine  the  use  or  benefit  of  these  miraculous 
signs.  Jesus  said,  ''''These  signs  shall  follow  them  that 
believe.'''  If  they  were  to  be  of  no  particular  use  or  benefit 
to  the  believer,  it  is  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  Jesus 
would  have  promised  them.  Modern  Christendom  asserts 
that  these  signs  were  given,  not  so  much  for  the  benefit  of 
believers,  as  for  the  convincing  of  unbelievers.  The  servants 
of  God,  it  is  said,  wrought  signs  and  wonders  to  establish  the 
divine  authenticity  of  their  calling  and  message.  Signs  fol- 
lowed, they  assert,  that  all  people  might  know  believers  from 
unbelievers — the  true  Church  from  every  other  church. 

If  these  signs,  as  modern  divines  suppose,  were  given  for 
these  purposes,  then  we  ask,  why  should  they  be  done  away 
in  succeeding  ages,  when  there  were  millions  of  unbelievers 
upon  the  earth  ?  How  are  people  to  determine  at  the  present 
day  which  among  the  modern  churches  is  the  Church  of 
Christ?  How  shall  they  know  believers  from  unbelievers?  or 
the  ministers  of  Christ  from  deceivers  or  impostors?  We  can 
distinguish  them  now,  says  modern  Christendom,  by  the  word 
of  God.  But  the  word  of  God  says,  "signs  shall  follow  them 
that  believe. ' '  And  as  they  deny  signs  in  these  days,  the 
word  of  God  would  at  once  condemn  them  all  as  unbelievers. 
Not  any  of  the  Papist  or  Protestant  sects  can  prove,  by  the 
word  of  God,  to  the  unbelieving  world,  that  they  are  the  true 
church — that  their  ministry  is  authorized  of  God,  and  that 
they  are  true  believers  in  Christ.    The  word  of  God  condemns 


98  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

them  all,  because  they  have  not  the  signs  which  Jesus  said 
should  follow  the  believers. 

The  Protestants  denounce  the  Catholics  as  the  mother  of 
harlots — the  most  wicked  and  corrupt  power  on  earth.  The 
Catholics  denounce  the  Protestants  as  heretics  and  apostates 
from  the  true  church.  The  word  of  Grod  denounces  them 
both  as  unbelievers,  because  they  lack  the  signs.  The  infidel 
world  denounces  the  word  of  God,  because  miraculous  signs 
follow  neither  Catholics  nor  Protestants,  who  pretend  to  be 
believers.  The  sincere  inquirer  is  almost  distracted,  because 
he  is  in  greater  doubt  whether  to  believe  in  Catholics,  Protes- 
tants, infidelity,  or  the  word  of  God.  If  signs  then  were 
given  to  distinguish  the  ministers  of  Christ  from  impostors, 
surely  the  present  generation  need  them  if  ever  they  were 
needed. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  conflicting  opinions,  the  humble 
servant  of  God  comes  forth  and  boldly  declares  that  no  church 
can  be  the  true  church,  unless  they  obey  the  words  of  Christ 
and  enjoy  the  signs  of  believers.  He  testifies  with  authority 
that  all  the  promises  of  Jesus  will  be  fulfilled  while  there  is 
one  believer  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  to  be  perfected  and 
saved.  He  testifies  that  all  who  deny  that  signs  will  follow 
them  that  believe,  are  unbelievers,  who,  according  to  the 
words  of  Christ,  must  be  damned. 

It  is  very  evident,  however,  that  these  signs  were  not  given 
merely  for  the  purpose  of  convincing  unbelievers.  "In  my 
name,"  says  Jesus,  ^^tliey  shall  cast  out  devils."  although  this 
power  might,  in  certain  cases  convince  the  unbelieving  world, 
yet  it  is  by  no  means  to  be  supposed  that  this  was  the  prin- 
cipal design.  Devils  and  unclean  spirits  frequently  took  pos- 
session of  the  human  tabernacle,  tormenting  individuals  in 
various  ways.  Jesus  promised  believers  that  they,  in  His 
name,  should  cast  them  out.  Now  one  object  which  Jesus 
had  in  view  in  granting  this  power,  was  to  benefit  the  one 
possessed.  Another  object  was  to  confirm  the  believers,  that 
they  by  having  power  over  the  devil  in  this  life,  might  be 
more  fully  assured  that  they  should  obtain  a  complete  victory 
and  final  triumph  oyer  him  in  the  world  to  come.  That  per- 
son who  cannot  obtain  power  in  the  name  of  Jesus  to  cast  out 


/y'>^   OP*  THE        ^ 

{{TJHIVIBSIT 

THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.         NT^f 

devils  in  this  life,  has  great  reason  to  fear  lest  the 
obtain  power  over  him  in  the  next  life.  What  assurance  has 
any  one  that  he  shall  obtain  a  complete  salvation  from  the 
power  of  the  devil,  when  his  spirit  shall  leave  the  body,  if  he 
cannot  claim  the  promise  of  Jesus,  and  cast  him  out  while 
his  spirit  dwells  in  the  body  ?  One  of  the  purposes  then  which 
Jesus  had  in  view  in  bestowing  this  blessing,  was  that  believ- 
ers might  learn  to  prevail  against  the  devil  before  they  should 
enter  the  invisible  world  of  spirits.  And  another  purpose,  as 
we  have  already  named,  was  to  deliver  the  unhappy  demoniac 
from  his  miserable  and  wretched  condition,  and  set  him  free 
from  the  grasp  of  this  awful  monster. 

Now  both  of  these  purposes  are  just  as  essential  for  the 
good  of  mankind  in  this  age  as  in  the  first  age  of  Christianity. 
It  would  be  equally  as  essential  for  a  man  who  is  possessed  of 
devils  in  this  age  to  be  liberated,  as  it  was  in  any  former  age. 
And  it  would  also  be  equally  as  essential  that  a  believer 
should  learn  to  command  the  devil  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  that 
he  might  obtain  a  complete  victory  over  him  in  all  things,  as  it 
was  for  ancient  believers.  Therefore,  as  there  is  no  scripture 
to  do  away  this  promise,  nor  any  reason  to  prove  it  unneces- 
sary, it  must  be  intended  for  believers  of  all  ages  until  the  devil 
is  bound. 

"They  shall  speak  in  new  tongues."  The  benefit  of  this 
miraculous  sign  is  obvious  to  every  one.  If  a  servant  of  Grod 
were  under  the  necessity  of  acquiring  in  the  ordinary  way  a 
knowledge  of  languages,  a  large  portion  of  his  time  would  be 
unprofitably  occupied.  •JVhile  he  was  spending  years  to  learn 
the  language  of  a  people  sufficiently  accurate  to  preach  the 
glad  tidings  of  salvation  unto  them,  thousands  would  be  perish- 
ing for  the  want  of  the  knowledge.  If  he  could  be  endowed 
immediately  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  speak  in  any 
language  necessary,  how  much  laborious  study  would  be 
avoided !  how  much  time  would  be  saved  that  could  be  occu- 
pied more  usefully  in  the  spread  of  the  gospel!  how  much 
more  accurately  would  principles  be  expressed,  when,  not  only 
the  ideas,  but  the  language  itself  is  given  by  the  Holy  G-host! 
How  vastly  superior  is  G-od's  plan  of  qualifying  His  servants 
to  preach  in  different  languages  and  tongues,  to  the  plans 


100  THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD. 

adopted  by  modem  divines!  The  servant  of  God  is  qualified 
in  a  moment,  as  it  were,  to  preach  by  the  inspiration  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  the  language  of  any  people  to  whom  he  may  be 
sent ;  while  modern  divines  will  throw  away  years  in  acquiring 
the  knowledge  of  a  language ;  and  when  they  have  acquired  it, 
they  cannot  preach  in  it  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Grhost, 
but  are  still  dependent  upon  their  own  learning  and  wisdom. 

In  one  day  the  unlearned  fishermen  of  Galilee  acquired  a 
more  extensive  qualification  for  preaching  in  the  different  lan- 
guages of  the  earth,  than  all  the  various  grades  and  ranks  of 
clergymen  who  have  disgraced  the  name  of  Christianity  on  the 
eastern  hemisphere  for  the  last  seventeen  centuries.  The  gift 
of  tongues  was  not  confined  to  the  ministers  of  Christ  alone, 
but  it  was  bestowed  liberally  upon  the  private  members  of  the 
Church.  Indeed,  it  was  one  of  the  signs  promised  to  believers 
throughout  all  the  world.  As  scon  as  Paul  baptized  the  Ephe- 
sians,  he  laid  his  hands  upon  them  and  they  received  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  immediately  spake  with  tongues  and  prophesied 
( See  Acts  XIX.  6. ).  When  the  household  of  Cornelius  received 
the  Holy  Spirit,  they  also  spake  with  tongues  and  glorified  God 
{Acts  X.  46).  The  Corinthian  church  were  abundantly  blessed 
with  this  gift{See  I.  Cor.  xii.,  xiii.  and  xvi.  chapters). 

That  the  principle  use  of  this  gift  was  to  preach  the  gospel 
to  the  people  of  different  tongues  and  languages  we  presume 
no  one  will  deny.  And  that  there  was  another  benefit  derived 
through  the  medium  of  this  gift  is  also  evident.  The  members 
of  the  church  were  confirmed  and  strengthened  in  their  faith 
by  the  enjoyment  of  this  gift.  Je^us  had  promised  this 
miraculous  sign,  among  many  others,  to  believers ;  if  they  had 
failed  to  receive  the  blessings,  they  would  have  had  reason  to 
doubt  whether  they  were  true  believers;  but  when  they  received 
tongues,  together  with  all  other  promised  blessings,  they  were 
no  longer  in  doubt,  but  were  assured,  not  only  of  the  truth  of 
the  doctrine,  but  that  they  themselves  were  accepted  of  God. 

The  benefits  to  be  derived  from  this  gift  are  as  essential  in 
this  age,  as  in  the  first  age  of  Christianity.  It  is  as  necessary 
that  people  of  different  languages  should  hear  the  gospel  now, 
as  in  early  ages.  It  is  also  as  important  that  believers  should 
be  confirmed  by  this  gift  now,  as  it  ever  was.    Therefore,  as 


THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD.  101 

there  is  no  scripture  to  limit  tLis  gift  to  the  early  Christians, 
and  no  reason  why  believers  should  not  enjoy  it  now,  we  are 
compelled  to  admit  that  this  promise  of  Jesus  is  in  full  force 
yet,  and  that  whenever  and  wherever  we  find  a  church  of  true 
believers  in  Christ,  there  we  shall  also  find  the  signs  of  believers. 
And  as  the  gift  of  tongues  is  not  among  the  apostate  churches 
now  on  the  earth,  we  are  compelled  by  the  word  of  God  to 
consider  them  all  unbelievers.  Indeed,  they  cannot  be  behevers ; 
for  if  they  were  they  could  speak  with  new  tongues,  as  Jesus 
promised. 

"They  shall  take  up  serpents,  or  if  they  drink  any  deadly 
thing  it  shall  not  hurt  them."  This  promise  of  our  Great 
Redeemer  was  also  made  to  every  creature  in  all  the  world  who 
should  believe  the  gospel.  The  use  of  this  miraculous  gift  was 
to  preserve  life,  in  case  any  believer  should  accidentally  be 
bitten  by  a  poisonous  serpent  as  Paul  was  {see  Acts  xxviii. ) ;  or 
should  unintentionally  swallow  a  deadly  poison,  as  the  sons  of 
the  prophets  did  {see  II.  Kings  w).  Jesus  promised  that  it 
should  not  hurt  them.  When  the  Israelites  were  bitten  by 
poisonous  serpents,  they  were  healed  by  simply  looking  at  a 
brazen  serpent  which  the  Lord  commanded  Moses  to  raise  up 
in  the  wilderness ;  so  the  believers  in  Christ  can  prevail  against 
deadly  poisons  by  simply  looking  to  Him  in  faith ;  for  Jesus 
cannot  fail  to  fulfil  His  promise  to  the  believer. 

"They  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  shall  recover." 
This  also  is  one  of  the  signs  of  believers.  Sickness  is  a  very 
prevalent  calamity  among  the  inhabitants  of  our  fallen  world. 
Any  medical  discoveries  that  will  benefit  the  sick,  are  consid- 
ered of  inestimable  value.  Medicines  are  valued  in  proportion 
to  their  usefulness.  Some  medicines  are  useful  in  one  disease, 
but,  at  the  same  time,  will  leave  a  lasting  injury  upon  the 
human  constitution.  Others  have  a  more  salutary  effect ;  and 
are  beneficial  in  numerous  diseases ;  such,  when  their  beneficial 
tendencies  are  thoroughly  understood,  are  generally  prized  in 
preference  to  those  of  inferior  quality. 

One  of  the  most  simple  and  harmless  prescriptions  for  the 
sick,  and  one  which  is  a  certain  cure  for  diseases  and  plagues 
of  every  description — is  that  prescribed  by  one  of  the  most 
celebrated  physicians  that  ever  lived  among  men.    The  pre- 


102  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOl). 

scripdon  is  simply  this — ''they  shall  lay  hands  upon  the 
SICK,  and  they  shall  RECOVER."  There  is  no  disease  so 
violent  in  its  nature— so  deadly  in  its  operations,  but  what  this 
remedy,  when  properly  attended  to,  will  effect  a  complete  cure, 
without  in  the  least  injuring  the  human  system  like  many  other 
prescriptions.  This  remedy  is  infinitely  superior  to  all  others, 
first  because  of  its  universal  application  to  all  diseases,  plagues, 
and  pestilences ;  secondly,  because  of  the  certainty  with  which 
it  removes  pain  and  every  cause  of  disease ;  thirdly,  because  of 
the  expeditious  and  immediate  relief  which  it  affords  the 
patient;  fourthly,  because  it  does  not  prostrate  the  human 
system,  and  injure  the  constitution  like  many  other  powerful 
prescriptions,  which  frequently  terminate  in  the  worst  of  con- 
sequences ;  fifthly,  because  it  can  be  obtained  without  money,  or 
price,  being  within  the  reach  of  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich ; 
sixthly,  because  it  does  not  require  years  of  laborious  study  to 
acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  nature  of  the  disease  or  of  the 
nature  of  its  treatment  like  most  other  theories ;  and  seventhly, 
because  it  can  be  obtained  in  all  parts  of  the  world  where  true 
believers  are  to  be  found. 

Another  prescription  of  equal  value,  and  producing  like 
effects  is  given  by  another  celebrated  author  in  these  words : 
"Is  any  sick  among  you?  let  him  call  for  the  Elders  of  the 
Church,  and  let  them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord;  and  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the 
sick,  and  the  Lord  shall  raise  them  up;  and  if  he  have  com- 
mitted sins,  they  shall  he  forgiven  him"  [James  v.  14,  15). 
The  prayer  of  faith  accompanied  by  the  ordinances  is  the  most 
universal,  powerful,  and  effective  remedy  of  any  that  has  ever 
yet  been  discovered. 

The  great  Physician,  who  has  unfolded  to  the  nations  this 
infinitely  valuable  and  all  powerful  remedy,  has  been  jealous  of 
His  own  glory,  and  has  so  prepared  it  that  it  can  never  he 
administered  with  the  least  effect  only  in  His  name  by  one  that 
is  authorized,  that  is  by  a  true  believer.  This  is  an  effectual 
preventative  against  all  quacks  and  impostors  who  may  under- 
take in  His  name  to  counterfeit  the  genuine;  for  in  all 
cases,  such  will  fail  like  the  seven  sons  of  Sceva  {Acts  xix.  13, 
14,15,16). 


THE  KtNGiDOM  01P  QOt),  103 

The  apostate  churches  for  many  centuries  past  have  been 
destitute  of  this  promised  blessing  of  our  Savior.  They  have 
endeavored  to  blind  the  eyes  of  mankind,  by  telling  theni  that 
this  blessing  was  not  needed  after  the  first  age  of  Christianity. 
This  false  tradition,  invented  by  a  set  of  wicked  impostors  to 
hide  their  own  unbelief  and  want  of  authority,  has  been  handed 
down  by  successive  false  teachers,  until  the  present  day ;  and 
what  is  still  more  strange,  there  are  millions  of  poor,  ignorant 
fanatics,  who  have  been  led  away  with  the  fatal  delusion.  It 
has  been  the  study  of  the  wicked  impostors  of  modern  times 
to  persuade  the  people  that  the  promised  signs  of  the 
gospel  are  not  needed  now.  In  this  thing  there  is  great  policy; 
for  as  they  have  so  far  apostatized  as  to  be  entirely  destitute 
of  the  blessings  themselves,  if  they  could  not  succeed  in  delud- 
ing their  followers  to  suppose  that  miraculous  signs  are  not 
needed  in  these  days,  all  people  would  at  once  discover  that 
they  were  not  believers,  but  impostors,  acting  without 
authority,  having  a  form  of  godliness,  but  destitute  of  its  pro- 
mised powers,  pretending  to  be  believers  without  the  signs  of 
believers. 

If  their  deluded  followers  should,  by  any  means,  get  the 
scales  of  priestcraft  off  from  their  eyes  sufficiently  to  believe 
the  promise  of  Jesus  in  preference  to  the  traditional  impositions 
ot  their  false,  rotten-hearted,  and  corrupt  ministers,  away  would 
go  the  popularity  of  long-established  institutions,  and  down 
would  tumble,  with  a  tremendous  crash,  the  long-loved  salaries 
of  a  hireling  priesthood,  and  they  would  stand  forth  as  monu- 
ments of  shame  and  disgrace  before  all  men.  To  save  them- 
selves from  this  open  disgrace,  they  have  used  all  their  cunning 
and  ingenuity  to  deceive  the  people  into  the  belief  that  the  gift 
of  healing,  and  the  other  promised  signs  of  Jesus,  are  unneces- 
sary now. 

But  are  there  any  sick  in  these  days  ?  if  so,  would  it  not  be 
just  as  beneficial  for  the  sick  to  be  relieved  in  these  days  as  at 
any  former  time  ?  Would  it  not  confirm  and  establish  believers 
to  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  see  them  healed  in  these  days,  as 
much  as  it  did  ancient  believers?  If  then,  it  would  confirm 
believers  and  benefit  the  sick  the  same  now  as  anciently,  we 


104  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOt). 

have  no  reason  to  limit  it  to  the  early  Christians.  Hence,  both 
scripture  and  reason  show  that  the  promised  signs  are  as  unlim- 
ited as  the  promised  salvation. 

The  affliction  of  devils — the  confusion  of  tongues — deadl}^ 
poisons — and  sickness,  are  all  curses  wliich  have  been  intro- 
duced into  the  world  by  the  wickedness  of  man.  The  blessings 
of  the  gospel  are  bestowed  to  counteract  these  curses.  There- 
fore, as  long  as  these  curses  exist,  the  promised  signs  are  needed 
to  counteract  their  evil  consequences.  If  Jesus  had  not  intended, 
that  the  blessings  should  be  as  extensive  and  unlimited  in  point 
of  time  as  the  curses,  He  would  have  intimated  something  to 
that  effect  in  His  word.  But  when  He  makes  a  universal  pro- 
mise of  certain  powers,  to  enable  every  believer  in  the  gospel 
throughout  the  world  to  overcome  certain  curses,  entailed  upon 
man,  because  of  wickedness,  it  would  be  the  rankest  kind  of 
infidelity  not  to  believe  the  promised  blessings  necessary,  as 
long  as  the  curses  abound  among  men. 

If  these  signs  are  necessary,  why  have  they  not  existed 
among  the  churches  for  the  last  seventeen  centuries  ?  Because 
no  true  believers  have  existed  among  them  during  that  time; 
for  Jesus  says,  they  shall  follow  the  true  believer ;  hence,  if 
there  had  been  any  true  believers,  the  signs  would  have  been 
among  them.  But  the  very  fact  that  the  signs  have  ceased 
during  that  time,  prove  that  true  believers  have  ceased  also. 
This  is  a  sad  picture  of  mankind,  but  it  is  none  the  less  true. 
We  say,  let  the  promise  of  our  blessed  Redeemer  be  true, 
though  it  prove  every  man  a  liar  or  a  hypocrite.  The  fault 
cannot  be  in  Jesus,  therefore  it  must  be  in  man.  The  promises 
of  Christ  are  as  unchangeable  as  His  own  nature,  and  can 
never  fail ;  but  man  is  as  changeable  as  the  wind,  and  is  very 
apt  to  fail  in  almost  every  respect. 

Since  the  great  apostasy,  sincerity  has  characterized  millions 
of  professed  Christians,  but  none  of  them  have  obeyed  the 
ancient  gospel,  because  no  one  was  authorized  to  legally  admin- 
ister its  ordinances  to  them  ;  therefore,  notwithstanding  their 
sincerity,  they  could  not  obey  the  gospel  for  the  want  of  a  legal 
administrator ;  hence,  they  could  have  no  legal  claim  on  the 
gospel  blessings.  And,  for  this  reason,  they  could  not  become 
legal  or  adopted  believers ;  therefore,  they  could  have  no  legal 


THE  KINGDOM  Ot*  GOD.  ]05 

claim  on  the  signs  promised  to  believers ;  and  this  is  one  reason 
why  the  sincere,  honest-hearted,  professed  Christians  of  modern 
times  have  not  enjoyed  these  great  blessings  promised  by  our 
Savior.  Neither  can  they  enjoy  the  promised  salvation  in  all 
its  fullness,  but  must  be  rewarded  according  to  their  works, 
and  the  opportunities  they  have  enjoyed,  in  some  of  the  man- 
sions or  kingdoms  inferior  in  glory  to  the  kingdom  possessed  by 
the  ancient  saints,  who  obeyed  the  law  and  enjoyed  the  prom- 
ised blessings.  And  all  who  will  not  now  repent,  as  the 
authority  is  once  more  restored  to  the  earth,  and  come  forth 
out  of  the  corrupted  apostate  churches,  and  be  legally  adopted 
into  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  earnestly  seek  after  the  bles- 
sings and  miraculous  gifts  of  the  gospel,  shall  be  thrust  down 
to  hell,  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Hosts ;  for  now  they  have  no 
excuse  for  their  belief;  therefore,  if  they  will  not  now  repent, 
they  shall  be  damned.  This  is  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  priests 
and  people  of  all  churches,  and  of  all  nations. 

We  will  now  give  a  few  examples  to  show  the  principle  upon 
which  the  sick  were  generally  healed.  This  was  accomplished 
through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  If  the  sick  were  capable  of 
exercising  faith,  then  faith  was  required  of  them  in  order  to 
obtain  the  blessing.  The  woman  who  had  the  issue  of  blood 
for  twelve  years  said,  "If  I  may  touch  but  His  clothes,  I  shall 
be  whole."  Jesus  turned  to  her  and  said,  "Daughter,  thy 
/aiV/i  hath  made  thee  whole"  [Mark  v.)  When  Jesus  went 
over  into  the  land  of  Gennesareth,  and  passed  through  their 
villages,  cities,  and  countries,  so  great  was  their  faith  in  Him, 
that  they  brought  their  sick  and  laid  them  "in  the  streets,  and 
besought  Him  that  they  might  touch  if  it  were  but  the  border 
of  His  garment :  and  as  many  as  touched  Him  were  made 
whole"  [Mark  vi.)  Blind  Bartima3us  cried  unto  the  Lord  for 
mercy.  '  'And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  go  thy  way ;  thy  faith  hath 
made  thee  whole' '  [Mark  x. )  When  Jesus  touched  the  eyes  of 
two  blind  men  that  came  into  the  house  where  He  was.  He  said 
unto  them,  "according  to  your  faith  be  it  unto  you"  {Matthew 
ix.  29.)  A  certain  cripple  "heard  Paul  speak ;  who  steadfastly 
beholding  him,  and  perceiving  that  he  had  faith  to  be  healed, 
said  with  a  loud  voice.  Stand  upright  on  thy  feet.  And  he 
leaped  and  walked"  [Acts  xiv.  9.  10.) 


106  TSE  KINGDOM  OF  GOl). 

Many  other  examples  might  be  given  to  show  that  the  power 
of  healing  was  manifested  through  faith.  Sometimes  the  faith 
of  others  was  exercised  in  behalf  of  the  sick,  as  examples :  A 
woman  of  Canaan  sought  a  blessing  for  her  daughter,  who  was 
grievously  vexed  with  a  devil.  "Jesus  answered  and  said  unto 
her,  0  woman,  great  is  thy  faith :  be  it  unto  thee,  even  as  thou 
wilt"  [Matthew  xv.)  A  centurion  exercised  faith  in  behalf  of 
his  servant,  who  was  sick  of  the  palsy.  "And  Jesus  said  unto 
him,  Go  thy  way ;  and  as  thou  hast  believed.,  so  be  it  done  unto 
thee.  And  his  servant  was  healed  in  the  self-same  hour" 
[Matthew  via )  A  certain  man  whose  son  had  been  tormented 
of  the  devil  from  a  child,  says  to  Jesus,  "If  thou  canst  do  any- 
thing, have  compassion  on  us  and  help  us,  Jesus  said  unto 
him,  If  thou  canst  believe,  all  things  are  possible  to  him  that 
belicveth.  And  straightway  the  father  of  the  child  cried  out, 
and  said  with  tears.  Lord,  I  believe:  help  Thou  mine  unbehef" 
[Mark  ix. )  The  devil  was  rebuked,  and  his  son  was  liberated. 
Jairus,  whose  daughter  lay  at  the  point  of  death,  came  to 
Jesus,  and  fell  down  before  Him,  and  requested  Him  to  go  and 
lay  His  hands  upon  her,  that  she  might  be  healed.  While  on 
the  way  to  his  house,  one  met  them,  saying,  "Thy  daughter  is 
dead :  why  troublest  thou  the  Master  any  further?  As  soon  as 
Jesus  heard  the  word  that  was  spoken.  He  said  unto  the  ruler 
of  the  synagogue,  Be  not  afraid,  only  believe"  [Mark  v.)  And 
Jesus  restored  his  daughter  to  life  again.  Many  other  instances 
are  recorded  where  friends  exercised  faith  in  behalf  of  the 
afflicted. 

Therefore,  it  may  be  considered  as  a  general  law,  that  sick 
and  afflicted  were  healed,  either  through  their  own  faith,  or  the 
faith  of  some  of  their  friends.  There  may  be  some  rare  instances 
where  the  blessing  is  bestowed  through  the  faith  alone  of  the 
administrator. 

It  is  the  general  opinion  of  modern  churches  that  the  prin- 
cipal object  of  miracles  was  to  do  away  unbelief  But  when 
Jesus  went  into  His  own  country,  among  His  old  acquaintances. 
He  marveled  because  of  their  unbelief  [See  Mark  vi.  5.) 
"And  He  did  not  many  mighty  works  there  because  of  their 
unbelief"  [Matthew  xiii.)  But  according  to  the  ideas  of  the 
false  techers  of  modern  times,  He  should  have  performed 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  107 

greater  works  there,  than  anywhere  else.  As  they  consider 
signs  to  be  for  the  convincing  of  the  unbeliever ;  therefore  the 
greater  the  unbelief,  the  greater  should  be  the  signs.  When 
He  found  His  own  countrymen  so  very  unbelieving,  He  should, 
according  to  modern  notions  concerning  the  object  of  signs, 
have  performed  far  more  splendid  and  magnificent  miracles  there, 
than  He  did  in  any  other  region  where  their  unbelief  was  not 
so  great.  But  the  facts  of  the  case  were  directly  the  reverse. 
The  greater  the  wickedness  and  unbelief  of  a  people,  the  less 
were  the  mighty  works  performed  among  them.  So  among 
the  Christian  churches,  as  their  unbelief  increased,  the  mighty 
works  decreased.  And  when  the  people  became  hardened  in 
apostasy  and  unbelief,  all  mighty  works  ceased,  and  the  salva- 
tion ceased  also. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen,  that  the  signs  and  blessings  of  the 
gospel  are  enjoyed  only  by  faith.  The  greater  the  faith,  the  greater 
will  be  the  manifestations  of  the  miraculous  power  of  God. 
The  miracles  will  decrease  as  faith  decreases ;  and  cease  when 
faith  ceases.  The  miraculous  signs  bestowed  upon  believers 
in  this  life,  are  blessings  far  inferior  to  the  blessings  of  a  glori- 
ous resurrection  and  eternal  life.  But  he  that  has  not  faith 
sufficient  to  obtain  the  miraculous  signs,  or  smaller  blessings, 
how  can  he  obtain  faith  sufficient  to  receive  the  greater  bles- 
sings? If  the  smaller  blessings  are  withheld  for  the  want  of 
faith,  will  not  the  greater  blessings  be  withheld  for  a  like 
reason?  If  a  person  has  not  means  enough  to  buy  himself  a 
coat,  how  can  he  expect  to  purchase  a  splendid  habitation  ?  So 
likewise,  if  a  person  has  not  faith  enough  to  obtain  the  miracul- 
ous signs  promised,  how  can  he  expect  to  obtain  a  glorious 
mansion  in  the  kingdom  of  God?  If  his  faith  is  so  weak  that 
it  will  not  procure  for  him  the  smaller  blessings,  he  may  be 
much  more  assured  that  the  same  weak  faith  will  not  procure 
for  him  the  greater  blessings. 

Jesus  said,  as  we  have  already  quoted,  that  "All  things  are 
possible  to  him  that  believeth."  Jesus  also  said,  "Have  faith 
in  God.  For  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  whosoever  shall  say 
unto  this  mountain,  Be  thou  removed,  and  be  thou  cast  into 
the  sea ;  and  shall  not  doubt  in  his  heart,  but  shall  believe  that 
those  things  which  he  saith  shall  come  to  pass ;  he  shall  have 


108  THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD. 

whatsoever  he  saith.  Therefore,  I  say  unto  you :  What  things 
soever  ye  desire,  when  ye  pray,  believe  that  ye  receive  them 
and  j^e  shall  have  them"  [Mark  xi  22,  23,  24).  This  promise 
was  not  confined  to  the  apostles  and  early  saints ;  for  the  term, 
"whosoever,"  embraces  all  mankind  who  shall  have  faith,  in 
every  age  throughout  the  world.  Who  can  read  these  precious 
promises  of  our  Savior,  without  perceiving  in  the  plainest  light, 
the  awful  apostate  condition  of  the  churches  ?  They  are  with- 
out faith — without  any  confidence  in  God.  They  despise  those 
who  are  sincerely  seeking  after  the  ancient  faith.  Both  from 
the  pulpit  and  from  the  press  they  boldly  avow  their  infidelity 
in  the  above  promises,  and  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  those 
who  do  believe  them.  They  will  greatly  praise  up  the  faith  of 
the  ancient  saints,  and  build  synagogues  and  chapels  to  their 
memory;  but  for  any  person  to  teach  that  the  same  faith  is 
necessary  now,  is,  in  their  estimation,  the  highest  blasphemy. 
0  ye  hypocrites  !  Why  do  you  profess  to  be  the  followers  of 
Christ,  and  yet  deny  His  promises?  0  ye  blind  guides!  Why 
do  you  deceive  the  people  with  a  form  of  godliness,  and  yet 
deny  the  promised  powers  ?  Why  do  you  make  void  the  pro- 
mises of  Jesus  through  your  unbelief  and  wicked  traditions  ? 
Why  do  you,  through  great  swelling  words  of  man's  wisdom, 
pervert  the  truth,  and  deny  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  the  gift  of  revelation  and  prophecy?  Why  do  you  preach 
for  hire,  and  through  coveteousness  make  merchandise  of  the 
people,  while  the  poor  and  the  needy  are  crying  for  bread  ?  0 
ye  wicked  and  corrupt  teachers !  Ye  hirelings !  Why  do  you, 
through  your  mock  piety  and  cunning  craftiness,  not  only  close 
the  gates  of  heaven  upon  yourselves,  but  hedge  up  the  way  of 
others  who  would  know  the  truth  and  be  saved  ?  How  can  you 
escape  the  vengeance  of  eternal  fire  ?  How  long  will  the  Lord 
suffer  you  to  practice  your  deceptions  and  wickedness?  The 
hour  of  your  judgment  is  nigh !  Howl,  ye  apostate  churches, 
for  the  miseries  which  shall  come  upon  you !  The  day  of 
fierce  vengeance  is  at  hand,  and  ye  shall  utterly  perish  from  the 
earth ! 

The  Church  of  Christ  is  called  the  body  of  Christ.  "Now 
ye  are  the  body  of  Christ,  and  members  in  particular"  [1.  Cor. 
gcii.  27).     We  shall  here  give  the  names  of  the  different  mem- 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  109 

bers,  composing  the  various  parts  of  the  body  or  Church  of 
Christ.  "God  hath  set  some  in  the  church,  first,  apostles; 
secondarily,  prophets;  thirdly,  teachers;  after  that  miracles; 
then  gifts  of  healing^  helps,  governments,  diversities  of 
tongues'^  ( Verse  28).  These  members  of  the  body  were  joined 
together  upon  one  common  principle  which  I  have  already 
explained  in  Chapter  II.  of  this  treatise.  They  were  all  intro- 
duced into  the  church  through  faith,  repentance  and  the  ordi- 
nances. Paul  says,  "By  one  spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into  one 
body,  whether  we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles,  whether  we  be  bond  or 
free;  and  have  been  all  made  to  drink  into  one  spirit" 
[Verse  U). 

This  one  body  into  which  all  members  are  baptized,  is  quick- 
ened and  animated  in  all  its  parts  by  one  spirit.  The  opera- 
tions of  the  Spirit  in  different  parts  of  the  body  are  various. 
"To  one,"  says  Paul,  "is  given  by  the  Spirit  the  word  of  wis- 
dom ;  to  another,  the  word  of  knowledge  by  the  same  Spirit ; 
to  another,  faith  by  the  same  Spirit ;  to  another,  the  gifts  of 
healing  by  the  same  Spirit ;  to  another,  the  working  of  mira- 
cles ;  to  another,  prophecy ;  to  another,  discerning  of  spirits ; 
to  another,  divers  kinds  of  tongues ;  to  another,  the  interpre- 
tation of  tongues ;  but  all  these  worketh  that  one  and  the 
selfsame  Spirit  dividing  to  every  man  severally  as  He  will" 
(  Verses,  8,  9,  10,  11).  Paul  has  here  so  clearly  described  the 
Church  of  Christ,  that  none  need  be  at  a  loss  when  they  have 
found  it.  Fvery  faithful  member  of  the  body  of  Christ  pos- 
sesses some  gift  of  the  Spirit.  All  the  churches  now  on  the  earth 
can  compare  themselves  with  this  scriptural  pattern  ;  if  they 
do  not  resemble  the  pattern,  they  may  know  at  once  that  they 
are  not  the  body  or  Church  of  Christ.  If  they  have  no  apos- 
tles nor  prophets — no  officers  that  can  receive  the  word  of  wis- 
dom, and  the  word  of  knowledge  by  the  inspiration  of  the 
Spirit — if  they  have  no  member  possessing  the  gift  of  healing 
— no  worker  of  miracles — no  beholder  of  visions  or  discerner 
of  spirits — no  speaker  in  tongues — if  they  have  none  of  these 
members  of  the  body  of  Christ,  then  they  have  nothing  that 
resembles  the  pattern,  and,  therefore,  they  cannot  possibly  be 
the  Church  of  Christ. 


110  THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD. 

The  body  of  Christ  is  wholly  made  of  the  above  named 
members.  To  do  away  with  the  least  member  there  mentioned 
would  produce  a  schism  in  the  body,  and  it  would  be  imper- 
fect like  the  human  body,  with  one  of  its  members  lacking. 
The  body,  or  church,  like  the  human  body,  would  become 
more  and  more  imperfect  and  mutilated  in  proportion  to  the 
usefullness  and  number  of  the  above  members  that  are  done 
away.  And  when  all  the  members  or  parts  of  the  body  vanish, 
it  ceases  to  exist  on  the  earth.  It  is  an  admitted  fact  that  the 
greater  part,  if  not  all  of  the  members  described  by  Paul  are 
done  away,  and  considered  unnecessary  at  the  present  day. 
And  as  the  body  or  church  is  nothing^  separate  and  apart  from 
its  members ;  therefore,  where  they  cease,  the  body  must 
cease  also. 

There  are  many  parts  of  the  human  body  that  are  essential 
to  its  existence,  and  without  which,  the  body  must  inevitably 
perish;  such  for  examples,  as  the  mouth — the  heart — the 
lungs — the  stomach — the  liver — the  bowels,  and  many  others 
too  numerous  to  mention.  Deprive  the  body  of  either  of 
these  essential  parts,  and  all  other  parts  will  perish  also.  Two 
of  the  most  prominent  parts  or  members  of  the  body  of  Christ 
are,  "First,  apos^?es;  secondly,  ^ropAcfe."  These  may  be  con- 
sidered the  eyes  and  mouth-piece  of  the  body.  Take  these 
away,  and  the  body  is  left  in  total  darkness  without  eyes  to 
see  with,  or  a  mouth  through  which  to  receive  the  nourish- 
ment essential  to  its  existence.  If,  therefore,  only  these  two  mem  • 
bers  were  to  cese,  all  the  other  members  would  speedily  perish, 
and  the  Church  of  Christ  would  cease  to  exist  among  men. 
The  apostate  churches  have  had  neither  of  these  members  for 
upwards  of  seventeen  centuries,  therefore,  during  that  time, 
they  have  had  no  eyes  nor  mouth  through  which  they  could 
receive  light  and  nourishment. 

If  the  mouth  and  eyes  of  the  human  body  were  to  be 
destroyed,  the  human  spirit  would  take  its  flight,  and  the 
body  would  soon  become  a  mass  of  putrid  corruption,  sending 
forth  a  most  offensive  stench,  engendering  pestilence  and 
disease,  and  affecting  the  health  of  all  who  should  come  within 
its  nauseous  influence.  Such  would  be  the  fatal  consequeuces 
attending  the  church  should  they  so  far  depart  from  God  as  to 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  Ill 

lose  inspired  apostles  and  prophets,  the  first  two  essential  and 
most  important  members  which  Grod  placed  in  the  body.  If 
these  members  were  taken  away,  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  is  the 
Hfe  of  the  church,  would  take  its  flight,  even  as  the  human 
spirit  flees  from  the  mortal  body,  when  its  essential  parts  are 
destroyed.  When  the  Holy  Spirit  takes  its  departure,  the 
body,  or  church,  is  left  in  a  lifeless  state;  all  the  miraculous 
operations  of  the  Spirit  cease. 

In  ancient  times,  after  apostles  and  prophets  ceased,  the 
other  members  of  the  body  began  immediately  to  die  for  want 
of  nourishment ;  the  member  possessing  the  gift  of  healing — 
the  worker  of  miracles — the  speaker  with  tongues — the  inter- 
preter of  tongues,  and  all  other  members,  withered  away  and 
died,  leaving  a  mass  of  putrid  corruption  whose  nauseous 
stench  and  abominable  filthiness  have  spread  forth  a  deadly 
malaria  among  all  nations. 

It  is  in  vain  for  the  apostate  churches  to  endeavor  to  prove 
themselves  to  be  the  body  of  Christ,  by  pretending  that  they 
have  one  or  two  of  the  members  still  in  existence ;  for  Paul 
enquires,  "If  they  were  all  one  member,  where  were  the 
body?"  [Verse  19).  If  every  part  of  our  bodies  were 
destroyed,  except  hands  and  feet,  they  could  in  no  wise  con- 
stitute a  living  body ;  so,  likewise,  if  every  member  of  the 
church  were  done  away,  except  professed  teachers,  and  some 
two  or  three  other  pretended  members  of  different  functions, 
these  could  no  more  constitute  a  living  church,  than  hands, 
and  arms,  and  feet,  and  legs,  could  constitute  a  living  man. 
The  Holy  Spirit  would  no  more  dwell  in  these  pretended  frag- 
ments of  the  church,  which  are  falsely  said  to  still  remain,  than 
the  human  spirit  would  dwell  in  the  hands,  feet,  or  legs,  after 
the  rest  of  the  body  was  gone. 

Reader,  would  it  not  be  marvelously  strange  to  behold 
hands,  feet,  and  legs  moving,  acting  and  performing  their 
accustomed  functions  after  all  the  rest  of  the  body  was 
destroyed  ?  Yet  this  would  not  be  any  more  strange,  than  it 
is  to  see  teachers  and  some  few  other  pretended  members, 
endeavoring  to  move,  and  act,  and  perform  certain  other  func- 
tions, afler  nine-tenths  of  the  most  important  and  vital  mem- 
bers of  the  church  have  been  done  away  for  centuries.     As 


112  THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD. 

well  might  you  undertake  to  retain  life  in  an  isolated  human 
hand,  as  to  retain  life  in  teachers  for  centuries  after  apostles, 
prophets,  workers  of  miracles,  etc.,  have  ceased. 

Paul  says,  "The  eye  cannot  say  to  the  hand,  I  have  no  need 
of  thee ;  nor  again,  the  head  to  the  feet,  I  have  no  need  of 
you"  (  Verse  21).  But  in  dirct  opposition  to  this  instruction, 
the  apostate  teachers  of  modern  times  say  to  the  worker  of 
miracle.s,  I  have  no  need  of  thee.  And  their  pastors  say  to 
the  speaker  with  tongues,  and  the  interpreter  of  tongues,  we 
have  no  need  of  you  in  the  body.  It  matters  not  how  feeble,  or 
how  inferior  in  use  some  members  are,  when  compared  with 
others,  yet  none  can  be  dispensed  with.  "Nay,"  says  Paul, 
"much  more,  those  members  of  the  body,  which  seem  to  be 
more  feeble,  are  necessary"  (  Verse  22).  If  the  speaker  with 
tongues,  or  the  interpreter  of  tongues,  is  considered  a  more 
feeble  member,  and  not  as  useful  as  the  prophets  or  apostles; 
yet  Paul  says  expressly,  that  such  "are  necessary."  There- 
fore, for  a  teacher  or  pastor  to  say  that  they  are  not  necessary, 
is  to  come  out  in  direct  opposition  to  the  scriptures. 

How  superlatively  ridiculous  it  would  be  for  the  hands  and 
feet  to  rise  up  in  rebellion  to  the  eyes — the  mouth— the  heart 
— the  lungs — the  bowels — the  breast — the  neck,  and  say,  we 
have  no  need  of  you :  we  can  get  along  without  your  assist- 
ance; you  are  useless  appendages  to  us,  hands  and  feet:  we 
can  feel  and  walk  without  your  help.  And  yet  as  a  parallel  to 
this,  the  teachers  and  pastors  of  our  day  have  arisen  up  in 
rebellion  to  Paul's  words,  and  have  said  to  apostles — prophets 
— the  healer  of  the  sick — the  worker  of  miracles — the  beholder 
or  discerner  of  spirits— -the  speaker  with  tongues— the  inter- 
preter of  tongues — we  have  no  need  of  you :  we  can  get  along 
without  your  assistance,  you  are  all  unnecessary  parts  of  the 
body :  you  are  perfectly  useless  to  us  pastors  and  teachers :  we 
can  perform  all  the  functions  of  our  office  without  your  aid. 
Such  has  been  the  state  of  the  apostate  churches  for  the  last 
seventeen  hundred  years.  And  such  is  the  awful  darkness 
that  now  reigns  in  their  midst. 

It  is  in  and  through  the  body  or  church  of  Christ  that  the 
Spirit  manifests  itself:  "The  manifestation  of  the  Spirit  is 
given  to  every  man  to  profit  withall"  ( Verse  7).     It  is,  there- 


THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD.  113 

fore,  by  these  manifestations  that  every  man  in  the  church  is 
profited.  There  is  as  much  necessity  for  these  various  mani- 
festations now  as  anciently.  Paul  mentions  in  this  chapter 
nine  different  gifts  or  manifestations  of  the  Spirit.  All 
churches  which  have  not  these  miraculous  manifestations 
have  not  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  without  the  Spirit  they  are 
none  of  Christ's. 

The  distinguishing  characteristics  between  true  and  false 
churches  are  so  evident  that  none  need  be  mistaken.  The 
one  enjoys  the  Holy  Spirit  with  all  its  gifts,  as  set  forth  in  the 
word  of  God  ;  the  others  profess  to  enjoy  the  Spirit,  but  have 
none  of  the  gifts  and  operations  ascribed  to  it.  The  only  way 
by  which  we  discover  that  the  human  body  is  animated  by  the 
human  spirit,  is  by  its  operations ;  so  likewise,  the  method  by 
which  we  determine  that  a  church  enjoys  the  Holy  Spirit  is  by 
its  diversity  of  operations  or  manifestations.  If  these  cease, 
we  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  Holy  Spirit  has 
departed  also. 

Among  all  nations,  and  in  all  ages  of  the  world,  whenever 
the  Holy  Spirit  has  been  given,  it  has  exhibited  itself  in  sup- 
ernatural gifts.  These  gifts  were  given,  not  only  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  church  in  this  life,  but  to  prepare  them  for  still 
greater  blessings  in  the  world  to  come.  It  is  altogether  a 
mistaken  idea  to  suppose  that  these  gifts  were  merely  given 
for  the  convincing  of  unbelievers.  Paul  says  expressly,  that 
the  gifts  which  were  given  by  our  Lord  after  His  ascension 
were  intended  for  other  purposes.  "When  He  (Christ) 
ascended  up  on  high,  He  led  captivity  captive,  and  gave  gifts 
unto  men."  [Eph.  iv.  8.)  "And  he  gave  some  apostles,  and  some 
prophets,  and  some  evangelists,  and  some  pastors  and  teachers,'' 
[Verse  11.)  These,  together  with  numerous  other  gifts,  were 
given,  not  merely  to  establish  the  truth  of  Christianity,  but  as 
Paul  says,  "For  the  perfecting  of  the  Saints,  for  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ:  till  we  all 
come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith,  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
Son  of  God,  unto  a  perfect  man,  unto  the  measure  of  the 
stature  of  the  fullness  of  Christ :  that  we  henceforth  be  no 
more  children,  tossed  to  and  fro,  and  carried  about  with 
every  wind  of  doctrine,  by  the  sleight  of  men,  and  cunning 


114  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

craftiness,  wbereby  they  lie  in  wait  to  deceive ;  but  speaking 
the  truth  in  love,  may  grow  up  into  Him  all  things,  which  is 
the  head,  even  Christ:  from  whom  the  whole  body  fitly  joined 
together  and  compacted  by  that  which  every  joint  supplieth, 
according  to  the  effectual  working  in  the  measure  of  every 
part,  maketh  increase  of  the  body,  unto  the  edifying  of  itself 
in  love."     {Verses  12,  13,  14,  15,  16.) 

By  these  declarations  we  discover  the  objects  which  the 
Lord  has  in  view,  by  giving  gifts  unto  men.  One  object  is 
declared  to  be  ^^For  the  perfecting  of  the  Saints.'"  It  is  very 
evident  from  the  whole  tenor  of  the  scripture,  that  unless  the 
Saints  are  perfected  they  can  never  enjoy  a  perfect  salvation. 
The  only  plan  which  Jesus  has  devised  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  this  great  object,  is  through  the  medium  of  the 
spiritual  gifts.  When  the  supernatural  gifts  of  the  Spirit 
cease,  the  Saints  cease  to  be  perfected,  therefore  they  can 
have  no  hopes  of  obtaining  a  perfect  salvation.  To  do  away 
from  the  Church,  apostles,  prophets,  and  other  gifts,  is  to  do 
away  the  great  plan  which  heaven  has  devised  for  the  perfec- 
tion and  final  salvation  of  the  righteous. 

The  author  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews  urges  upon  the 
Saints  the  necessity  of  "going  on  unto  perfection,"  {see 
chap.  vi.  1),  but  this  would  be  impossible  for  those  churches 
who  have  no  apostles,  prophets,  and  other  gifts  which  Jesus 
gave  after  His  ascension.  Such  churches  could  not  "go  on 
unto  perfection,"  for  they  have  lost,  and  continue  to  do  away 
the  very  gifts  which  were  intended  to  accomplish  that 
object. 

Has  Jesus  anywhere  in  His  word  told  us  that  His  plan  of 
perfecting  the  Saints  should  cease,  and  that  mankind  would 
introduce  a  better  one?  If  not,  why  then  should  we  not  pre- 
fer our  Savior's  plan  in  preference  to  all  others?  Why  do 
away  the  powers  and  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  weie 
intended,  not  merely  for  the  convincing  of  unbelievers,  but 
for  the  perfecting  of  believers  ?  In  every  nation  and  age, 
where  believers  exist,  there  the  gifts  must  exist  to  perfect 
them,  otherwise  they  would  be  altogether  unprepared  for  the 
j-eception  of  the  still  greater  powers  and  glories  of  the  eternal 
world.      If  there  were  no  unbelievers  on  the  earth,  still  there 


tHE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  115 

would  be  the  same  necessity  for  the  miraculous  gifts  that 
there  was  among  early  Christians ;  for  if  the  whole  world  were 
believers  in  Christ  they  could  not  possibly  be  perfected  with- 
out these  gifts,  and  hence  they  could  not  enter  into  the  fullness 
of  His  glory. 

It  is,  therefore,  directly  in  opposition  to  the  word  of  God 
for  the  apostate  churches  to  declare  that  "the  object  of  mirac- 
ulous gifts  was  merely  to  establish  the  Christian  religion,  and 
that  after  that  object  was  accomplished  they  were  no  longer 
necessary,  and  therefore  ceased."  The  word  of  God  declares 
they  were  "for  the  perfecting  of  the  Saints;"  and,  therefore, 
wherever  there  are  Saints,  there  the  gifts  are  needed,  not 
merely  to  establish  the  truth  by  supernatural  evidence,  but  to 
perfect  those  who  already  believe. 

Another  great  object  which  the  Lord  has  in  view,  in  send- 
ing gifts  unto  men,  is  "the  work  of  the  ministry."  Without 
these  gifts  the  "work  of  the  ministry"  never  could  be  carried 
on ;  without  inspired  apostles  and  prophets  the  gifts  of  revel- 
ation and  prophecy  cease,  and  where  these  cease  the  work  of 
the  ministry  ceases.  The  apostate  churches  have  no  more 
authority  for  taking  away  the  gifts  of  apostles  and  prophets, 
than  they  have  for  taking  away  the  gifts  of  pastors  and 
teachers.  There  is  precisely  the  same  evidence  for  doing 
away  the  whole  of  the  gifts,  as  there  is  for  doing  away  a  part 
and  pretending  to  retain  the  others.  "The  work  of  the  min- 
istry" is  clearly  manifested  in  the  scriptures.  -  It  is  required 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  all  nations  in  the  different  tongues  and 
languages  of  the  earth.  The  ministry  is  required  to  receive 
revelations  for  the  benefit  of  themselves  and  all  the  Saints, 
reproving  by  revelation  those  who  need  reproof;  comforting 
those  who  need  comfort;  forewarning  the  Church  of  approach- 
ing judgments;  pointing  out  by  the  spirit  of  revelation  a  way 
of  escape;  revealing  doctrine  and  principle  in  relation  to 
things  both  temporal  and  spiritual,  and  unfolding  all  things 
necessary  for  the  perfection  and  eternal  exaltation  of  the 
righteous.  Besides  this,  the  ministry  are  to  lay  on  hands  for 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  for  the  healing  of  the  sick, 
and  administer  all  other  ordinances  of  the  Church.  There- 
fore, without  the  supernatural  powers  and  gifts  of  the  Holy 


116  'TFIfc  KINGDOM  OP  OOt). 

Spirit  the  "work  of  the  ministry"  would  cease,  and  when 
that  ceases  men  cease  to  be  saved. 

Paul  declares,  as  we  have  already  quoted,  that  the  gifts 
were  given  "for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ."  But 
the  various  bodies  or  apostate  churches  declare  boldly,  that 
the  gifts  are  no  longer  necessary  in  this  age  of  learning  and 
refinement.  Now,  say  they,  we  can  be  edified  by  learned 
divines  who  have  become  eminently  qualified  by  a  long  course 
of  study  in  our  great  theological  institutions.  Now,  they 
exclaim,  we  have  a  glorious  substitute  in  the  stead  of  the 
inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  the  first  age  of  Christian- 
ity— in  the  days  of  ignorance  and  darkness,  the  gifts  of  the 
spirit  were  given  to  edify  the  Church;  but  now,  we  have 
become  so  learned  and  enlightened,  we  need  some  better  plan 
than  the  one  devised  in  that  day  of  ignorance ;  then  they 
knew  no  better  than  to  be  edified  through  the  gifts  of  the 
Spirit,  but  now  we  have  sought  out  a  plan  far  superior  ;  then 
they  had  nothing  but  knowledge  and  certainty,  and  were  all 
of  one  mind,  but  now  we  are  blessed  with  the  opinions  and 
commentaries  of  uninspired  men,  all  differing  and  contradict- 
ing one  another,  dividing  us  in  our  sentiments  and  doctrines. 
Oh,  how  great  is  the  wisdom  of  our  modern  divines !  How 
immensely  superior  are  opinion  and  guess-work  to  certainty 
and  knowledge !  Then  they  had  nothing  but  direct  revelation 
— the  spirit  of  prophecy,  visions,  and  the  ministry  of  angels 
to  guide  them  into  the  truth,  but  now  we  have  advanced  to 
the  high  and  exalted  privilege  of  being  taught  by  men  who 
despise  new  revelation  and  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  and  favor 
us  with  their  superior  opinions,  and  creeds  and  articles  of 
religion.  Great  is  the  plan  devised  by  human  wisdom,  for 
the  edifying  of  the  church;  God's  plan  can  be  dispensed  with 
now  as  unnecessary.  This  is  the  language  of  modern  Christ- 
endom if  we  are  to  judge  from  their  opposition  to  the  gifts 
which  Paul  says,  were  given  for  the  "edifying  of  the  body  of 
Christ." 

That  no  one  need  be  mistaken,  and  suppose  the  gifts  in  the 
future  ages  of  the  Church  to  be  unnecessary,  Paul  says 
expressly,  that  they  shall  continue  for  the  purposes  which  he 
specifies,  "Till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith,  and  of 


THE  itmaDOM  OF  GOD.  117 

the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  unto  a  perfect  man,  unto 
the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fullness  of  Christ."  This 
puts  the  subject  beyond  all  doubt  and  controversy;  all  can  see 
that  the  gifts  were  intended  as  long  as  there  was  a  Church  of 
the  Saints  that  needed  perfecting  and  edifying.  If  the  mod- 
ern churches  of  Christendom  have  not  attained  to  the  unity 
of  the  faith  and  knowledge— to  all  the  perfection  and  fullness 
of  Christ,  they  certainly  need  the  gifts  until  they  shall  arrive 
at  that  state.  The  period  when  the  Saints  shall  attain  to  the 
perfection  and  fullness  of  Christ  is  very  clearly  and  definitely 
unfolded  by  the  apostle  in  his  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians. 
"Charity  never  faileth:  but  whether  there  be  prophecies, 
they  shall  fail ;  whether  there  be  tongues,  they  shall  cease ; 
whether  there  be  knowledge,  it  shall  vanish  away.  For  we 
know  in  part,  and  we  prophesy  in  part.  But  when  that 
which  is  perfect  is  come,  then  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be 
done  away."  [xiii^  8,  9,  10.)  "For  now  we  see  through  a 
glass  darkly ;  but  then  face  to  face ;  now  I  know  in  part ;  but 
then  1  shall  know  even  as  also  I  am  known."     ( Verse  12.) 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  gifts  were  not  to  cease  until 
"that  which  is  perfect  is  come" — until  we  see  the  Lord  face 
to  face — until  we  know  as  we  are  known.  Then  tongues  will 
cease,  and  the  heavenly  glorified  throng  will  all  speak  the 
same  language.  Then  prophesying  in  part  will  be  done  away; 
for  the  knowledge  of  the  future  will  be  fully  understood. 
Then  knowledge  in  part  shall  vanish  away  and  the  Saints  will 
know  in  full.  Then  the  day  of  perfection  will  come,  and  all 
the  Saints  shall  enjoy  the  fullness  of  Christ,  and  see  Him  no 
longer  through  a  glass  darkly,  but  face  to  face.  Until  that 
day  of  glory  and  perfection  shall  arrive,  all  the  spiritual 
gifts  will  be  indispensably  necessary,  without  which  the  Saints 
can  never  attain  to  that  great  salvation  promised. 

Another  object  for  which  the  miraculous  gifts  are  given 
unto  men,  is  to  keep  them  from  delusion.  They  are  given 
that  the  saints  "henceforth  be  no  more  children,  tossed  to 
and  fro,  and  carried  about  with  every  wind  of  doctrine,  by 
the  sleight  of  men,  and  cunning  craftiness,  whereby  they  lie 
in  wait  to  deceive."  The  very  reason  why  the  apostate 
churches  have  for  the  last  seventeen  centuries  been  carried 


118  THE  KINGDOM  Of  GOD. 

about  by  the  doctrines,  creeds,  and  traditions  of  uninspired 
inen  who  have  craftily  deceived  them — is  because  they  lacked 
the  gifts  which  Paul  says  were  given  as  an  effectual  perventa- 
tive  against  such  winds  of  doctrine.  All  churches  which  have 
not  the  gifts,  are  already  deceived  and  deluded.  If  it  were 
possible,  these  popular  and  learned  impostors  would  deceive 
the  very  elect ;  but  this  is  impossible,  for  the  elect  enjoy  the 
gifts  which  will  detect  with  the  most  unerring  certainty  every 
imposition,  however  plausible  and  popular  it  may  be. 

The  Papist  and  Protestant  churches  of  modern  times,  not- 
withstanding the  greatness  of  their  numbers  and  their  exceed- 
ingly great  popularity — are  impositions,  under  the  pious  name 
of  Christianity,  of  the  most  glaring  and  dangerous  kind. 

Their  cunning,  learned,  arch-impostors,  have  multiplied 
their  followers  to  millions,  and  flooded  all  Europe  and  Amer- 
ica with  their  pernicious  doctrines.  Thousands  of  the  honest 
and  unwary  are  annually  led  away  by  these  fatal  delusions 
under  the  false  and  vain  suppositions  that  they  are  embrac- 
ing Christianity.  Instead,  however,  of  embracing  the  Chris- 
tian religion  of  the  New  Testament,  they  have  only  embraced 
some  traditional  forms  that  bear  but  a  faint  resemblance  to  it, 
while  its  miraculous  powers,  gifts  and  blessings  are  entirely 
unknown  among  them,  and  indeed,  are  considered  as  alto- 
gether unnecessary.  Oh,  apostate  Christianity!  Oh,  mod- 
ern Christendom !  Thou,  that  corruptest  all  nations  with 
thine  abominations,  and  makest  merchandise  of  the  souls  of 
men !  Oh  !  that  thou  didst  but  know  the  day  of  thy  visita- 
tion—the hour  of  God's  judgments— and  wouldst  awake  from 
the  awful  slumber  of  ages!  But  alas !  Thine  eyes  are  closed 
no  more  to  be  opened,  until  they  are  lifted  up  in  torment,  in 
the  midst  of  lamentations,  and  woes,  and  miseries,  and  hopless 
despair ! 

Seventh. — The  rights^  privileges  and  blessings^  promised  to 
the  faithful  obedient  subjects  in  a  future  life. 

Eternal  life  is  the  greatest  of  all  the  gifts  of  God.  It  is  a 
blessing  promised  to  all  the  faithful  subjects  of  His  kingdom. 
The  hopes  of  a  future  life  of  happiness  that  will  never  end, 
serve  to  comfort  and  cheer  them  through  all  the  sorrows  and 
tribulations  of  the  present  life.      We  shall  endeavor  to  point 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  1^9 

out  the  nature  of  that  eternal  life,  promised  to  the  children  of 
the  kingdom.  "This  is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know 
thee,  the  only  true  Grod,  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom  thou  hast 
sent."  {John  xvii  3.)  It  is  not  enough  merely  to  have  a 
knowledge  of  the  existence  of  the  Father  and  Son ;  but  to 
know  them  aright  is  to  understand  their  character — their 
attributes — their  glory — and  the  nature  of  the  laws  which 
they  have  ordained  for  the  government  of  all  happy,  glorified, 
and  intelligent  beings.  Such  knowledge,  when  once  obtained, 
is  eternal  life.  Eternal  life  is  not  merely  to  believe  on  the 
testimony  of  others  in  the  existence  and  attributes  of  God » 
but  it  is  to  obtain  something  more  than  a  belief;  it  is  to  obtain 
a  certain  knowledge.  Such  knowledge  can  only  be  obtained 
by  direct  and  immediate  revelation.  "No  man  knoweth  the 
Son,  but  the  Father ;  neither  knoweth  any  man  the  Father, 
save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son  will  reveal 
him."  {Matt,  xi  27.)  All  men  can  5eZ*ez;e  in  the  existence 
of  Grod  on  the  testimony  of  others ;  but  no  man  can  know 
God  only  by  revelation. 

Hear  this,  ye  that  deny  new  revelation,  and  fear  and  trem- 
ble for  yourselves  ;  for  you  can  in  nowise  inherit  eternal  life, 
without  knowing  "the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom 
He  hath  sent;"  and  you  can  in  nowise  know  them  without 
you  receive  a  new  revelation.  Peter  did  not  obtain  his  knowl- 
edge that  Jesus  was  the  Christ,  only  by  a  new  revelation. 
Jesus  said  to  Peter,  "Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Barjona ;  for 
flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven."  {3fatt.  xvi  17.)  No  man  can  know 
God  unless  "the  Son  REVEAL  Him."  Hence  we  can  per- 
ceive, that  eternal  life  can  only  be  enjoyed  by  a  people  who 
believe  in,  and  receive  new  revelation.  All  others  are  in 
uncertainty  and  doubt,  like  the  apostate  churches,  who  do 
not  believe  in  any  later  revelations  than  the  New  Testament, 
which  plainly  proves,  that  they  have  not  attained  to  the 
knowledge  of  God,  and  therefore,  eternal  life  is  not  among 
them. 

But  the  children  of  the  kingdom  have  a  knowledge  of  both 
the  Father  and  the  Son  through  the  medium  of  new  revela- 
tion ;  therefore,  eternal  life  is  with  them.      Their  happiness 

s* 


120  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

and  joy  in  eternal  life  will  increase  as  their  knowledge  of  the 
glory,  power,  wisdom,  and  goodness  of  God  increases ;  and 
this  knowledge  will  increase  only  through  the  medium  of  new 
revelation.  Hence  the  whole  system  of  salvation  and  eternal 
life,  and  the  increase  of  knowledge  and  happiness,  are  founded 
upon  continued  revelation  to  the  children  of  the  kingdom 
throughout  all  ages  in  this  world,  and  in  all  worlds  to 
come. 


We  have  in  this  treatise  briefly  touched  upon  some  of  the 
most  important  subjects  connected  with  the  kingdom  of  Grod. 
\Ve  shall  now  proceed  to  give  a  summary  statement  of  some 
of  the  leading  arguments  contained  in  the  foregoing. 

1. — We  have  endeavored  to  point  out  the  nature  and  char- 
acter of  the  great  Supreme  governing  Power  of  the  universe, 
consisting  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  The 
person  of  the  Father  consisting  of  a  most  glorious  sub- 
stance, called  Spirit,  which  we  have  shown  must  have  exten- 
sion and  parts,  and  consequently  must  be  material.  Without 
these  qualities  no  substance  could  exist. 

The  Son  is  in  the  express  image  of  the  Father,  and  is  also  a 
material  being.  The  same  material  body  that  was  crucified 
and  laid  in  the  tomb,  arose  again.  The  same  flesh — the  same 
bones  were  reanimated  by  the  same  material  spirit.  This 
glorious  compound  of  flesh,  and  bones,  and  spirit — all  mater- 
ial, ascended  into  heaven  to  dwell  in  the  presence  of  the  glori- 
ous personage  of  the  Father,  of  whose  express  image  and 
likeness  He  was  the  most  perfect  pattern.  Therefore,  from 
the  description  given  of  Jesus  we  are  irresistibly  led  to  the 
conclusion,  that  both  He  and  the  Father  must  appear,  so  far 
as  it  relates  to  form  and  size,  very  much  like  man.  If  then, 
both  of  these  glorious  personages  are  about  the  size  of  man, 
they  must,  like  man  occupy  a  finite  space  of  but  a  few  cubic 
feet  in  dimension  ;  and,  according  to  the  admitted  truths  of 
philosophy,  no  substance  can  be  in  two  or  more  places  at  the 
same  time,  therefore  neither  the  Father  nor  Son  can,  consist- 
ently with  those  truths,  be  in  two  places  at  once.  Revealed 
truths  never  will  contradict  any  other  truths.      The  revealed 


THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD.  121 

truths  contained  in  the  Bible,  inform  us  that  God  is  every- 
where, sustaining  and  upholding  all  things,  and  that  in  Him 
we  live,  and  move  and  have  our  being.  How  can  these 
important  truths  of  divine  revelation  be  reconciled  with  other 
admitted  truths  of  philosophy  which  are  equally  certain? 
They  can  be  reconciled  in  no  way  only  by  admitting  the  omni- 
presence of  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  all-powerful  substance 
extends  throughout  the  material  universe,  uniting  and  ming- 
ling with  all  other  matter  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  not 
absolutely  filling  all  space,  for  then  there  would  be  no  room 
for  other  matter,  but  like  the  rays  of  light  or  heat,  existing 
in  different  degrees  of  density  in  different  parts  of  space.  By 
it  all  things  are  governed  in  the  most  perfect  order  and  wis- 
dom, according  to  the  will  of  the  Father  and  the  Son.  This 
view  of  the  subject  does  not  necessarily  do  away  a  personal 
Spirit,  acting  in  conjunction  with  the  other  two  persons  of 
the  Godhead ;  for  myriads  of  personal  spirits  could  be  organ- 
ized out  of  the  inexhaustible  quantities  which  exist,  and  still 
an  abundance  would  be  left  to  govern  and  control  the  various 
departments  of  the  universe  where  those  personages  could 
not  always  be  present. 

2. — We  have  clearly  shown  that  apostles,  prophets,  and  all 
other  officers  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  must  be  called  and 
ordained  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  that 
without  new  revelation  these  officers  never  could  be 
qualified  to  perform  the  various  duties  of  their  calling.  We 
have  also  proved  that  the  officers  of  the  kingdom  have  the 
authority  to  administer  the  word,  the  water,  and  the  Spirit, 
according  to  certain  conditions,  and  through  certain  ordin- 
ances in  the  name  of  Jesus. 

3. — We  have  pointed  out  the  great  scriptural  plan  of  salva- 
tion, and  the  conditions  to  be  complied  with  on  the  part  of 
man.  These  conditions  are,  faith,  a  humble  repentance,  an 
immersion  in  water  for  the  remission  of  sins,  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  through  the  laying  on  of  hands,  and  a  strict  observ- 
ance of  every  other  requirement  of  heaven,  even  unto  the 
end. 

4.— We  have  proved  from  the  dealings  of  God  with  His 
people    in  all    ages,  that  continued  revelation  is  absolutely 


122  THE  KINGDOM  OF  OOD. 

necessary  for  the  well-being  of  the  Church,  and  for  its  exist- 
ence among  men — that  new  circumstances  are  constantly 
requiring  new  information  from  heaven,  adapted  to  these  cir- 
cumstances ;  and  that  the  Church  in  one  age  neyer  could 
learn  its  whole  duty  from  revelations  given  to  the  Church  in  a 
former  age. 

5. — We  have  urged  the  Saints  to  cultivate  such  a  disposi- 
tion and  character  as  would  best  correspond  with  the  word 
and  spirit  of  Christ. 

6. — We  have  clearly  shown  from  the  word  of  God  that  all 
the  supernatural  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  the  miraculous  signs 
promised  to  believers,  and  every  blessing  promised  under  the 
gospel  dispensation,  are  all  necessary  in  the  Church  now^  and 
should  be  earnestly  sought  after  by  all  the  faithful  Saints— 
and  that  no  church  have  any  reason  or  scripture  by  which 
they  can  suppose  themselves  to  be  the  Church  of  Christ, 
unless  they  believe  in  and  enjoy  those  miraculous  powers. 

7.— The  word  of  God,  promises  to  all  who  faithfully  adhere 
to  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  kingdom — a  paradise  of  rest 
— a  glorious  resurrection — an  eternal  life  of  happiness — and 
an  everlasting  inheritance  upon  the  new  earth,  where  they 
shall  reign  as  kings  and  priests  for  ever  and  ever.  These  are 
the  subjects  which  we  have  endeavored  to  elucidate  in  this 
small  treatise.  They  are  subjects  with  which  every  man 
throughout  the  world  should  be  well  acquainted,  however 
imperfect  they  may  have  been  set  forth  in  the  foregoing  pages, 
they  are  none  the  less  important. 

The  Almighty  has  decreed  to  rend  and  break  in  pieces  all 
earthly  governments — to  cast  down  their  thrones— to  turn  and 
overturn,  and  break  up  the  nations — to  send  forth  His  mes- 
sengers, and  make  a  way  for  the  establishment  of  the  ever- 
lasting kingdom  to  which  all  others  must  yield,  or  be  pros- 
trated never  more  to  rise.  Awake  then,  0  ye  nations,  for 
with  you,  the  Lord  hath  a  controversy !  His  kingdom  is  now 
for  the  last  time  organized  upon  the  earth — all  nations  are 
invited  to  become  citizens — it  is  the  only  government  of  safety 
or  refuge  upon  all  the  earth — it  hath  its  seat  in  the  everlast- 
ing mountains — its  dreadful  majesty  shall  strike  terror  to  the 
hearts  of  kings  in  the  day  of  His  power!    Awake,  for  troubl- 


THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD.  123 

ous  times  are  at  hand !  Nations  shall  no  longer  sit  at  ease ! 
The  troubled  elements  shall  foment,  and  rage,  and  dash  with 
tremendous  fury!  A  voice  is  heard  unto  the  ends  of  the 
earth !  A  sound  of  terror  and  dismay !  A  sound  of  nations 
rushing  to  battle — fierce  and  dreadful  is  the  contest — mighty 
kingdoms  and  empires  melt  away !  The  destroyer  has  gone 
forth — the  pestilence  that  waketh  in  darkness.  The  plagues 
of  the  last  days  are  ^t  hand,  and  who  shall  be  able  to  escape  ? 
None  but  the  righteous — none  but  the  upright  in  heart — none 
but  the  children  of  the  kingdom.  They  shall  be  gathered  out 
from  among  the  nations — they  shall  stand  in  holy  places,  and 
not  be  moved !  But  among  the  wicked,  men  shall  lift  up 
their  voices,  and  curse  God  because  of  His  sore  judgments, 
and  die.  And  there  shall  be  a  voice  of  mourning  and  lamen- 
tation unto  the  ends  of  the  earth ;  for  the  cup  of  the  indig- 
nation of  the  Almighty  shall  be  poured  out  without  mixture 
of  mercy,  because  they  would  not  receive  His  messengers,  but 
hardened  their  hearts  against  the  warning  proclamation — 
against  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom — and  against  the  great 
preparatory  work  for  the  universal  reign  of  the  King  of 
kings  and  Lords  of  lords. 


124  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 


DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

OF  THE 

BOOK    OF    MOEMON 


BY     ORSON     PRATT. 


INTRODUCTION— TO      EXPECT      MORE      REVELATION      IS     NOT 

UN8RIPTURAL— TO    EXPECT     MORE    REVELATION    IS 

NOT  UNREASONABLE. 


CHAPTER     I. 

THE  Book  of  Mormon  claims  to  be  a  divinely  inspired 
record,  written  by  a  succession  of  prophets  who  inhabited 
ancient  America.  It  professes  to  be  revealed  to  the  present 
generation  for  the  salvation  of  all  who  will  receive  it,  and  for 
the  overthrow  and  damnation  of  all  nations  who  reject  it. 

This  book  naust  beeither  true  ov  false.  H  jTue3jtis_,one  of 
the_most  Important  messages  ever  sent  jfrpm_(jod  to  man, 
affecting  both  the  temporal  and  eternal  interests  of  every 
people  under  heaven  to  the  same  extent  and  in  the  same  degree 
that  the  message  of  Noah  affected  the  inhabitants  of  the  oI3^ 
world.  If  false,  it  is  one  of  the  most  cunning,  wicked,  bold, 
deep-laid  impositions  ever  palmed  upon  the  world,  calculated 
to  deceive  and  ruin  millions  who  will  sincerely  receive  it  as  the 
word  of  God,  and  will  suppose  themselves  securely  built  upon 


OP  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  125 

the  rock  of  truth  until  they  are  plunged  with  their  families 
into  hopeless  despair. 

The  nature  of  the  message  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  such, 
that  if  true,  no  one  can  possibly  be  saved  and  reject  it ;  if  false, 
no  one  can  possibly  be  saved  and  receive  it.  Therefore,  every 
soul  in  all  the  world  is  equally  interested  in  ascertaining  its 
truth  or  falsity.  In  a  matter  of  such  infinite  importance  no 
person  should  rest  satisfied  with  the  conjectures  or  opinions  of 
others:  he  should  use^jsvery  exertion  himself  to  become 
^:£Q}?^^5l^''^^^^^^^nature  of  the  message:  he  .should  care- 
fully examine  the  evidences  of  which  it  is  ofiered  to  the  world: 
he  should,  with  all  patience  and  perseverance,  seek  to  acquire 
a  certain  knowledge  whether  it  be  of  Grod  or  not.  Without 
such  an  investigation  in  the  most  careful,  candid,  and  impartial 
manner,  he  cannot  safely  judge  without  greatly  hazarding  his 
future  and  eternal  welfare. 

If,  after  a  rigid  examination,  it  be  found  an  imposition,  it 
should  be  extensively  published  to  the  world  as  such ;  the  evi- 
dences and  arguments  upon  which  the  imposture  was  detected, 
should  be  clearly  and  logically  stated,  that  those  who  have 
been  sincerely  yet  unfortunately  deceived,  may  perceive  the 
nature  of  the  deception,  and  be  reclaimed,  and  that  those  who 
continue  to  pubHsh  the  delusion,  may  be  exposed  and  silenced, 
not  by  physical  force,  neither  by  persecutions,  bare  assertions, 
nor  ridicule,  but  by  strong  and  powerful  arguments — by  evi- 
dences adduced  from  scripture  and  reason.  Such,  and  such 
only,  should  be  the  weapons  employed  to  detect  and  overthrow 
false  doctrines — to  reclaim  mankind  from  their  errors — to 
expose  religious  enthusiasm — and  put  to  silence  base  and 
wicked  impostors. 

But  on  the  other  hand,  if  investigation  should  prove  the 
Book  of  Mormon  true  and  of  divine  origin,  then  the  import- 
ance of  the  message  is  so  great,  and  the  consequences  of 
receiving  or  rejecting  it  so  overwhelming,  that  the  various 
nations — to  whom  it  is  now  sent,  and  in  whose  lan- 
guages it  is  now  published,  should  speedily  repent  of  all  their 
sins,  and  renounce  all  the  wicked  traditions  of  their  fathers, 
as  they  are  imperatively  commanded  to  do  in  the  message : 
they  should  utterly  reject  both  the  Popish  and    Protestant 


126  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

ministry,  together  with  all  the  churches  which  have  been 
built  up  by  them  or  that  have  sprung  from  them,  as  being 
entirely  destitute  of  authority;  they  should  turn  away 
from  all  the  priestcrafts  and  abominations  practiced  by  these 
apostate  churches  (falsely  called  Christian),  and  bring 
forth  fruits  meet  for  repentance  in  all  things :  they  should  be 
immersed  in  water  by  one  having  authority,  and  receive  a 
remission  of  their  sins,  and  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit. 
After  thus  being  baptized  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  they 
should  seek  to  translate  the  Book  of  Mormon  into  every  written 
language  of  the  earth,  and  send  it  forth  by  millions  of  copies 
to  every  nation,  and  not  cease  their  exertions  until  ail  people 
have  heard  the  glad  tidings.  Every  synagogue,  church,  and 
place  of  public  worship  should  be  thrown  open  to  the  servants 
of  Grod.  Presidents,  governors,  and  rulers — kings,  lords,  and 
nobles,  and  all  in  authority,  should  set  the  example  before  the 
mass  of  the  people,  by  receiving  with  all  meekness  and  humil- 
ity this  great  revelation  of  modern  times.  Every  periodical 
throughout  their  dominions  should  devote  its  columns  to  dis- 
seminating, far  and  near,  among  all  classes,  the  evidences, 
arguments,  and  reasons,  which  establish  the  divine  authenticity 
of  so  great  and  important  a  work.  These  are  some  of  the  pre- 
sent duties  of  both  the  American  and  European  nations  if  this 
message  be  true. 

The  great  majority  of  the  world,  however,  reject  the  Book 
of  Mormon  without  the  least  examination  as  to  its  claims 
They  have  heard  there  was  such  a  book,  but  they  know  nothing 
of  its  contents,  only  that  it  claims  to  be  a  divine  revelation. 
They  at  once  reject  it  as  an  imposture.  Is  this  method  of 
judging  justifiable?  Has  Grod  ever  authorized  His  creatures  to 
judge,  without  an  investigation,  a  matter  that  professes  to 
involve  their  eternal  salvation?  Has  He  ever  informed  the 
world  that  they  have  enough  revelation,  or  that  He  will  never 
give  them  any  more?  All  who  have  read  the  Bible  know 
that  He  has  given  no  intimations  of  the  kind.  He  has  given 
no  grounds  whatever  for  supposing  that  there  is  to  be  no  more 
revelation.  Why,  then,  should  the  world  be  so  presumptuous 
as  to  reject  a  professed  revelation  as  false  without  investiga 
tion?    This  method  of  judging  is  not  only  unjustifiable,  but 


1 

I 


OF  tHE  BOOK  OP  M6rM0N.  12Y 

ffeatful  in  its  consequences.  As  long  as  there  is  a  possibility 
that  man  may  receive  more,  he  is  in  danger  of  losing  his  sal- 
vation, by  rejecting  indiscriminately  all  that  comes.  By  this 
rash  and  unjustifiable  method  of  judging,  he  is  not  only  in 
danger,  but  he  is  sure  to  lose  his  salvation  if  Glod  should  con- 
descend to  give  more. 

The  conduct  of  millions  in  relation  to  the  Book  of  Mormon 
goes  to  show  that  they  would  reject  all  true  revelations  as  well 
as  false  ones:  they  are  determined  to  reject  at  all  hazards, 
without  the  least  inquiry,  every  thing  under  the  name  of  new 
revelation.  They  seem  to  be  absolutely  certain,  as  their  con- 
duct abundantly  indicates,  that  God  will  never  favor  men  with 
another  communication  of  His  will  concerning  them. 

To  expose  this  popular,  though  fatal  error,  invented  by 
priestcraft  in  the  early  ages  of  the  apostasy,  and  transferred  to 
succeeding  generations,  will  be  the  object  of  the  following 
chapters.  In  the  first,  it  will  be  shown  that  to  expect  more 
revelation  is  neither  unscriptural  nor  unreasonable,  and  in 
those  which  follow,  it  will  be  further  shown,  that  the  doctrine 
of  continued  revelation  in  the  Church  of  God,  is  one  that  rests 
upon  the  most  ijifallihle  testimony,  being  necessary  for  the  sal- 
vation of  man,  connected  with  which,  the  the  divine  authen- 
ticity OF  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON  WILL  BE  DEMONSTRATED. 

TO  EXPECT  MORE  REVELATION  IS  NOT  UNSCRIPTURAL. 

1.— If  it  could  be  proven  from  scripture  that  God  had 
revealed  to  man  all  that  He  ever  intended  to  reveal,  then  a 
professed  revelation  would  not  require  investigation;  for  it 
would  be  known  at  once,  that  every  thing  of  the  kind  was  an 
imposition.  It  would  be  folly  in  the  extreme  to  enquire 
whether  a  professed  new  revelation  were  true  or  false ;  for  if  God 
had  declared  in  His  word  that  no  more  was  to  be  given,  all 
writings  or  books  purporting  to  be  a  new  revelation  could  not 
be  otherwise  than  false. 

2.  —If  the  books  in  the  English  translations  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments  are  the  only  ones  which  are  to  be  received  as 
divine  revelation,  then  why  do  we  not  find  some  intimations  in 
those  books  to  that  effect?  If  God  saw  that  man  had  enough, 
why  did  He  not  tell  him  so?     His  mind  would  then  have  been 


128  DIVINE  AtJTHENTICirY 

relieved  from  all  dubiety  on  the  subject.  Then,  all  nations  and 
generations  would  have  known  that  the  canon  of  scripture  was 
complete  and  full :  then,  there  would  not  have  been  the  least 
possible  chance  of  palming  upon  the  world  any  more :  then,  it 
would  have  been  known  that  all  possible  communications 
between  God  and  man  were,  from  thenceforth,  cut  off— that  the 
heavens  were  to  be  sealed  up,  and  the  mouth  of  the  Deity  to 
be  closed  in  a  deep,  profound  and  perpetual  silence  throughout 
all  future  generations. 

3.— If  Grod  never  intended  to  speak  to  man  after  the  first 
century  of  the  Christian  era,  it  certainly  would  have  been  a 
great  blessing  to  the  human  family,  and  saved  many  millions  of 
them  from  delusion  to  have  told  them  of  so  important  a 
matter.  But  as  God  has  failed  to  give  any  such  notice,  learned 
divines  have  concluded  to  give  the  notice  themselves:  hence 
they  have  invented  "Articles  of  Faith, "  in  which  their  followers 
are  required  to  reject,  under  the  penalty  of  excommunication, 
all  books  professing  to  be  of  divine  origin,  except  those  named 
in  their  "Articles,"  or  those  few  which  human  wisdom  has 
selected  and  compiled  into  a  Bible.  This  is  as  much  as  to  say, 
that  the  Bible  contains  all  that  God  ever  has  given  or  ever  will 
give  unto  man,  and  you  must  not  receive  any  more;  and  thus 
the  whole  Protestant  world  are  circumscribed  and  limited,  and 
bound  down  by  their  "Articles  of  Faith" — their  "Creeds" — 
and  their  '  'Disciplines. ' '  It  matters  not  how  important  a  message 
may  be  sent,  nor  how  great  its  accompanying  evidences,  they 
are  positively  forbidden  to  receive  it,  because  it  does  not  happen 
to  be  bound  up  with  the  rest  of  the  books  of  the  Bible. 

4. — The  learned  and  popular  false  teachers  of  modern  times 
who  have  so  presumptuously  rejected  all  revelation  except  the 
few  books  of  the  Bible  named  in  their  "Articles,"  have 
endeavoured  to  make  their  deluded  followers  believe  that  it  was 
contrary  to  scripture  for  any  more  books  to  be  added  to  the 
Bible,  or  for  God  to  give  any  additional  revelation  to  man. 
As  their  strongest  proof  upon  the  subject  they  quote  the  follow- 
ing text,  spoken  to  John  on  the  isle  of  Patmos,  when  in  the 
act  of  finishing  his  manuscript:  "For  I  testify  unto  every  man 
that  heareth  the  words  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book,  if  any 
man  shall  add  unto  these  things,  God  shall  add  unto  him  the 


Of  T^E  iJooK  ot-  Mormon.  1^9 

l^iagues  that  are  written  in  this  book ;  and  if  any  man  shall 
take  away  from  the  words  of  the  book  of  this  prophecy,  Grod 
shall  take  awa^^  his  part  out  of  the  book  of  life,  and  out  of  the 
holy  city,  and  from  the  things  which  are  written  in  this  book" 
[Rev.  xxii.  18,  19).  Here,  it  is  supposed,  is  proof  that  the 
Bible  is  forever  closed,  and  that  the  addition  of  any  other  reve- 
lation is  forbidden  under  the  penalty  of  great  plagues.  But 
every  man  who  has  read  this  text,  knows  that  there  is  not  the 
least  intimation  given  in  it  about  the  Bible's  being  closed. 
Such  a  book  as  the  Bible  did  not  then  exist  in  its  compiled 
state.  The  gathering  together  of  the  few  scattered  manu- 
scripts which  compose  what  is  now  termed  the  Bible,  was  the 
work  of  uninspired  man  which  took  place  centuries  after  John 
had  finished  his  manuscript.  Among  the  vast  number  of  pro- 
fessedly inspired  manuscripts,  scattered  through  the  world, 
man,  poor,  weak,  ignorant  man,  assumed  the  authority  to 
select  a  few,  which,  according  to  his  frail  judgment,  hebeheved 
or  conjectured  were  of  Grod,  but  the  balance  not  agreeing,  per- 
haps, with  his  peculiar  notion  of  divine  inspiration,  were 
rejected  as  spurious.  The  few,  selected  from  the  abundance, 
were  finally  arranged  into  one  volume,  divided  into  chapter  and 
verse,  and  named  the  Bjble.  Afterwards  a  set  of  cunning, 
wicked  impostors,  under  the  name  of  Protestant  ministers, 
make  their  appearance,  who  finding  themselves  entirely  desti- 
tute of  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  of  visions,  of  revelations,  and 
of  every  other  power  and  gift  which  always  characterized  the 
ministers  of  Christ,  have  endeavored  to  invent  some  cunning, 
crafty  arguments,  to  hide  from  the  people  their  powerless, 
apostate  condition,  and  make  their  deluded  followers  think 
that  they  are  really  genuine  ministers  of  Christ.  The  best 
scheme  to  carry  out  their  corrupt  purposes  and  deceive  the 
people,  is,  in  their  estimation,  to  tell  them  that  Grod  did  not 
intend  to  reveal  anything  more — that  the  Bible  contains  all — 
that  the  caution  not  to  add  to  the  words  of  John's  prophecy, 
means  not  to  add  to  the  Bible.  Thus  the  consciences  of  the 
common  people  become  quieted,  and  they  sincerely  begin  to 
think  that  the  Bible  contains  all  the  sacred  books  ever  given  to 
man,  and  they  at  length  become  willing  to  subscribe  to  a  set  of 
cunningly-devised  "Articles  of  Faith,"  requiring  them  to 
renounce  all  others  as  spurious. 


130  DIVINE  AtJTHENTICITr 

5. — How  do  the  Protestant  world  know  that  the  compilers 
of  the  Bible,  in  hunting  up  the  sacred  manuscripts  which  were 
widely  scattered  over  the  world,  one  in  one  place  and  another 
in  another,  found  all  that  were  of  divine  origin?  How  do 
they  know  that  the  compilers  of  the  Bible  found  even  the  one- 
hundreth  part  of  the  manuscripts  that  were  sacred  ?  And  as 
the  compilers  rejected  many  that  they  did  find  how  do  they  know 
but  what  some  of  the  rejected  books  were  equally  sacred  with 
those  received  into  the  collection?  Would  not  the  prophecy  of 
Enoch  with  which  the  Apostle  Jude  was  familiar,  and  from 
which  he  makes  a  quotation  relative  to  the  second  coming  of 
Christ,  be  as  sacred  as  any  other  prophecy  of  the  Bible? 
Would  not  the  book  of  Iddo,  the  seer— the  book  of  Nathan  the 
prophet — together  with  some  twelve  or  fifteen  other  books  and 
epistles,  written  by  inspired  prophets,  seers,  and  apostles,  and 
referred  to  in  scripture,  be  as  worthy  of  a  place  in  tiie  Bible  as 
any  that  human  wisdom  has  already  compiled  ?  Would  it  have 
been  any  more  a  violation  of  the  caution  not  to  add  to  the  words 
of  John's  prophecy,  for  the  compilers  to  have  added  the  book 
of  Gad,  the  seer,  with  the  collection  called  the  Bible,  than  it 
was  for  them  to  add  to  the  volume  the  book  of  Ezekiel — the 
book  of  Solomon's  Song— the  book  of  Matthew— the  book  of 
James,  or  any  other  book  of  the  collection  ?  If  the  book  of 
John's  prophecy  means  the  Bible,  as  these  false  teachers  assert, 
and  if  the  Bible  means  a  collection  of  all  the  sacred  books 
written  by  inspired  men,  and  if  the  adding  aind  diminishing  to 
the  words  of  John's  prophecy  mean  adding  and  diminishing  to 
the  Bible,  then  the  whole  Protestant  world  are  under  the  curse 
for  diminishing  many  sacred  books  from  the  Bible  which  are 
certainly  referred  to  as  being  written  by  inspired  men,  but 
which  they  in  their  "Articles  of  Faith"  absolutely  exclude  and 
diminish  from  the  Bible  by  prohibitmg  their  deluded  fol- 
lowers from  receiving  only  such  as  happens  to  be  compiled. 
Should  any  of  these  sacred  manuscripts  hereafter  be  found, 
the  "Articles"  and  "Creeds"  of  men  prohibit  their  reception. 
If  they  had  happened  to  be  found  by  the  compilers  of  the  Bible, 
they  would  have  been  sacred,  but  to  be  found  afterwards 
renders  them  false.  For  men  a  few  centuries  ago  to  hunt  up  a 
few  scattered  manuscripts,  and  compile  them  into  a  Bible,  was 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  131 

considered  a  very  laudable  undertaking,  but  for  any  man  to 
find  a  sacred  book  since  that  time  is  considered  the  highest 
blasphemy ! 

6. — If  the  caution  about  adding  and  diminishing  means  that 
there  is  to  be  no  more  revelation  after  the  caution  is  given, 
then  all  books  purporting  to  be  a  revelation,  and  given  after 
such  caution,  must  be  false.  Now  such  caution  was  given  as 
early  as  the  days  of  Moses.  "Ye  shall  not  add  unto  the  word 
which  I  command  you,  neither  shall  ye  diminish  ought  from 
it"  {Deut.  w.  2).  The  caution  in  John's  book  must  mean  the 
same  thing  as  the  caution  in  the  book  of  Moses  ;  if  the  one 
means  that  there  is  to  be  no  more  revelation,  the  other  means 
the  same.  Therefore,  according  to  the  arguments  of  modern 
divines,  all  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  which  have  been 
added  since  Moses  gave  the  caution  must  be  false,  and  conse- 
quently, they  and  all  their  followers  must  be  under  the  curse 
for  believing  in  and  advocating  sixty- two  other  books  as  divine 
revelation,  which  they  know  were  all  given  after  the  caution 
by  Moses.  Thus  it  will  be  seen,  that  if  their  appHcation  of 
these  texts  be  correct,  they  are  under  a  double  curse ;  first,  they 
are  cursed  in  John's  revelations  for  diminishing  some  fifteen  or 
twenty  books  from  the  compilation  of  the  Bible;  and,  secondly, 
they  are  cursed  in  Deuteronomy  for  receiving  sixty- two  books 
which  were  added  after  the  caution  was  given  by  Moses.  If 
modern  divines,  rather  than  subject  themselves  to  a  double 
curse  should  be  willing  to  give  up  their  perverted  applications 
of  these  texts,  then  what  becomes  of  their  scriptural  argu- 
ments against  receiving  more  revelation  ?  There  is  certainly 
no  other  application  of  these  passages  that  forbids  additional 
revelation. 

7. — To  add  to  the  words  of  the  book  of  John's  prophecy, 
means  nothing  more  nor  less  than  to  add  words  or  sentences  of 
our  own  to  his  book,  so  as  to  alter  the  meaning,  and  to  publish 
such  additions  as  the  words  of  John.  For  Isaiah  to  have 
added  to  the  words  of  the  books  of  Moses,  so  as  to  alter  their 
meaning,  and  to  have  represented  Moses  as  the  author  of  these 
altered  writings,  would  have  subjected  him  to  a  curse.  But  to 
receive,  as  he  did,  a  separate  and  independent  revelation  was 
no  more  adding  to  the  words  of  Moses,  than  a  deed  conveying 


132  DIVINE  AUTHENnCITY 

an  estate  in  America  would  be  adding  to  the  laws  of  England. 
If  ten  thousand  new  revelations  were  to  be  given,  it  would  be 
no  more  adding  to  the  words  of  John's  book  than  a  message 
of  the  president  of  the  United  States  would  be  adding  to  the 
words  of  a  proclamation  by  Queen  Victoria.  No  revelation 
given  from  God  needs  any  alterations,  additions,  or  diminutions, 
by  the  wisdom  of  man.  If  they  need  altering,  Grod  alone  has 
the  right  to  alter  them,  or  to  add  to  them,  as  He  did  in  the 
case  of  a  revelation  which  He  gave  to  Jeremiah,  which  was 
burned  by  the  king  of  Judah,  but  afterwards  Jeremiah  was 
commanded  to  write  all  the  words  again,  "and  there  were 
added  besides  unto  them  many  like  words"  [Jer.  xxxvi  32). 
Grod  has  never  prohibited  Himself  from  giving  revelation  as 
often  as  He  pleases,  neither  has  He  prohibited  Himself  from 
adding  or  diminishing  words  in  case  He  sees  it  necessary.  But 
woe  unto  that  man  who  pretends  to  give  a  revelation,  and  is  a 
deceiver;  who  adds,  or  diminishes,  or  alters  a  revelation  which 
God  has  given ;  such  cannot  escape  the  threatened  judgments 
of  the  Almighty. 

8. — We  have  now  shown  by  the  most  conclusive  arguments 
that  the  passages  concerning  adding  and  diminishing,  so  often 
referred  to  by  the  new-revelation  denier,  does  not  contain  the 
most  distant  intimation  that  the  day  of  revelation  is  gone  by. 
They  never  would  have  resorted  to  such  a  perverted  application 
of  these  passages  if  they  had  any  better  evidence  in  the  scrip- 
tures to  sustain  themselves.  The  very  fact  that  they  so  often 
pervert  these  passages  from  their  evident  meaning,  shows  most 
conclusively  the  weakness  of  their  position.  No  other  passages 
are  susceptible  of  being  so  grossly  misapplied.  It  is  under  this 
shallow  covering  that  they  endeavor  to  hide  their  apostasy  and 
deceive  mankind. 

9. — In  their  zeal  to  oppose  every  thing  under  the  name  of 
new  revelation,  some  of  the  more  ignorant  have  assumed  that 
when  Christ  was  lifted  upon  the  cross,  and  cried,  "It  is 
finished,"  it  put  an  end  to  all  further  revelation.  If  this 
assumption  be  correct,  then  all  the  books  ol  the  New  Testa- 
ment, written  years  after,  must  be  false.  If  Christ  finished 
the  work  of  revelation,  when  He  exclaimed,  "It  is  finished," 
then  the  apostles  must  have  been  base  impostors  for  pretending 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  133 

to  receive  revelation  scores  of  years  after  this  exclamation. 
All,  therefore,  who  reject  new  revelation  upon  these  grounds, 
are  required  by  their  own  application  of  this  saying,  to  reject 
all  the  writings  of  the  New  Testament:  thus,  in  their  heated 
zeal  to  oppose  new  revelation,  they  not  unfrequently  destroy 
the  very  books  which  they  profess  to  believe. 

10, — A  saying  of  Paul  to  Timothy  is  sometimes  referred  to 
by  the  enemies  of  new  revelation,  and  applied  in  the  most 
deceptive  manner,  in  order  to  strengthen  the  world  in  the  fatal 
delusion  that  God  will  no  more  speak  with  man :  it  reads  as 
follows:  "From  a  child  thou  hast  known  the  holy  scriptures, 
which  are  able  to  make  thee  wise  unto  salvation"  [11.  Timothy 
in.  15).  The  objector  to  new  revelation  argues,  from  this 
passage,  that  the  scriptures  with  which  Timothy  was  acquainted 
in  his  childhood,  were  abundantly  sufficient  to  make  him  wise 
unto  salvation,  and  consequently  there  was  no  need  of  any 
more.  If  this  conclusion  be  correct,  it  would  do  away  with  all 
the  scriptures  of  the  New  Testament ;  for  Timothy  when  a 
child  was  only  acquainted  with  the  scriptures  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, the  scriptures  of  the  New  Testament  not  being  yet 
written.  Thus,  again,  the  enemy  of  new  revelation  in  his  fan- 
atical zeal  to  close  up  the  volume  of  inspiration,  has  done 
away  the  very  scriptures  which  he  pretends  so  firmly  to 
believe. 

11. — Modern  false  teachers,  in  order  to  sustain  their  imposi- 
tions, sometimes  quote  the  following:  "All  scripture  is  given 
by  inspiration  of  Grod,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof, 
for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness,  that  the  man  of 
Grod  may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good  works" 
(//.  Tim.  ill.  16,  17).  They  assert  that  this  passage  means 
that  "enough"  scripture  has  been  given  to  perfect  the  man  of 
God — that  "enough"  has  been  given  to  thoroughly  furnish 
him  unto  all  good  works ;  but  the  word  enough  is  not  found 
in  the  passage :  it  reads,  "all  scripture  is  given,  etc."  The 
righteous  man  has  no  authority  from  this  passage  to  assume 
that  he  has  enough,  but  he  should  continue  to  seek  for  "line 
upon  line,  precept  upon  precept,  here  a  little,  and  there  a 
little; "  and  if  he  gives  heed  unto  "all  scripture"  which  God 
may  condescend  to  reveal,  it  will  perfect  him,  and  thoroughly 


134  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

furnish  him  unto  all  good  works.  This  passage,  therefore, 
leaves  the  man  of  God  to  be  perfected  by  "aZ^  scripture"  which 
God  has  given  by  inspiration,  in  early  ages,  or  which  He  may 
give  in  latter  times.  He  is  not  limited  to  any  particular  num- 
ber of  books  which  uninspired  man  has  happened  to  find  and 
compile  into  a  Bible.  Indeed,  if  the  assertions  of  these  false 
teachers  be  true,  then  there  are  several  books  of  the  New 
Testament  which  must  be  rejected ;  for  if  the  man  of  God  had 
enough  scripture  at  the  time  Paul  wrote  his  epistle  to  Timothy, 
then  the  book  of  Revelations  given  on  Patmos  some  years 
after,  together  with  the  book  of  John's  gospel,  and  several  of 
the  epistles,  must  be  excluded  from  the  Bible. 

12. — Well-educated  and  learned  divines  have  been  so  utterly 
at  a  loss  to  find  any  scripture  to  sustain  them  in  denying  imme- 
diate revelation,  that  they  have  not  hesitated  to  pervert,  in  the 
most  glaring  manner,  not  only  the  foregoing  passages,  but  some 
few  others  of  a  similar  nature  which  they  have  culled  from  the 
Bible,  and  which  they,  and  all  persons  with  the  least  reflection, 
know  have  the  most  distant  bearing  upon  the  subject.  They 
tell  their  flocks  that  no  more  revelation  is  to  be  expected, 
because  St.  Paul,  in  addressing  the  elders  of  the  church  at 
!Ephesus,  says,  "I  kept  back  nothing  that  was  profitable  unto 
you.  I  have  not  shunned  to  declare  unto  you  all  the  counsel 
of  God"  [Acts  XX.  20,  27. )  "All  the  counsel  of  God"  having 
been  imparted  by  St.  Paul  to  the  Ephesians,  it  is  presumed 
that  all  further  revelation  was  unnecessary.  If  this  presump- 
tion be  correct,  it  would  like  the  former  presumptions,  not  only 
cut  ofi"  from  the  Bible  several  of  the  epistles,  but  the  book  of 
John's  gospel,  and  the  great  revelation  given  on  Patmos,  all  of 
which  were  certainly  written  years  after  Paul  declared  "all  the 
counsel  of  God"  to  the  elders  of  Ephesus.  Paul,  no  doubt, 
had  previously  declared  all  the  counsels  which  God  had  mani- 
fested to  him  in  relation  to  their  welfare,  but  this  did  not  pro- 
hibit the  Lord  from  revealing  afterwards  other  counsels  as  the 
future  circumstances  of  the  Ephesians  might  require.  Indeed, 
notwithstanding  this  saying  of  Paul,  the  Lord  did,  a  long  time 
after,  give  further  revelations  and  counsels  to  this  same 
church,  through  His  servant  John,  on  Patmos  {.see  Rev,  ii. 

^8.) 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  135 

13. — It  has  been  fiirthermore  presumed  that  revelation  would 
cease  when  the  "seventy  weeks"  mentioned  by  Daniel  had 
passed  away.  The  an^el,  G-abriel,  said  to  Daniel,  "Understand 
the  matter,  and  consider  the  vision.  Seventy  weeks  are  deter- 
mined upon  thy  people  and  upon  the  Holy  City,  to  finish  the 
transgression,  and  to  make  an  end  of  sins,  and  to  make  recon- 
ciliation for  iniquity,  and  to  bring  in  everlasting  righteousness, 
and  to  seal  up  the  vision  and  prophecy,  and  to  anoint  the 
Most  Holy"  [Dajiielix.  23,  24.)  Here  the  enemies  of  new 
revelation  assert,  that  as  soon  as  the  Messiah  came,  and  was 
annointed,  and  the  seventy  weeks  had  elapsed,  "the  vision  and 
prophecy  were  sealed  up. "  But  we  ask,  what  vision  and  pro- 
phecy were  sealed  up?  They  reply,  that  all  new  revelation  by 
vision  and  prophecy  was  then  come  to  an  end.  If  this  wild 
conjecture  be  correct,  then  all  the  visions  and  prophecies,  and 
revelations,  and  books  of  the  New  Testament,  given  from  fifty 
to  a  hundred  jears  after  the  seventy  weeks  had  ended,  must  be 
false.  The  vision  and  prophecy  which  Grod  had  given  to 
Daniel,  and  which  the  angel  commanded  him  to  consider,  no 
doubt  were  the  ones  which  were  to  be  sealed  up,  or  to  have 
their  fulfillment  at  the  time  therein  specified.  But  to  suppose 
that  God  was  to  give  no  more  visions  and  prophecies  after  that 
time  is  contradicted  by  the  fact  that  abundance  of  heavenly 
manifestations  were  given  during  the  whole  of  the  first  century 
of  the  Christian  era,  all  of  which  new- revelation  deniers  must 
exclude  from  the  Bible,  or  give  up  their  perverted  application 
of  this  text. 

14. — Another  passage  is  often  quoted  by  olgectors  to  new 
revelation — namely,  the  declaration  of  Paul  in  relation  to  the 
cessation  of  some  of  the  spiritual  gifts.  He  says,  "Charity 
never  faileth  ;  hut  whether  there  he  prophecies^  they  shall  fail] 
whether  there  be  tongues  they  shall  cease;  whether  there  be  know- 
ledge it  shall  vanish  away"  (/.  Corinthians  xiii.  S.)  Modern 
ministers  will  read  to  their  followers  this  passage,  and  very 
gravely  tell  them  that  the  time  when  prophecies  were  to 
fail  arrived  upwards  of  seventeen  centuries  ago ;  but  they  are 
very  careful  not  to  read  the  two  following  verses,  lest  their 
hearers  should  find  out  the  true  meaning  of  the  passage,  and 
learn  the  very  time  when  this  event  should  happen.    Paul,  as 


136  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITT 

if  fearful  that  false  teachers  would  take  the  advan- 
tage of  his  saying,  and  undertake  to  do  away  prophesy- 
ing and  tongues  from  the  church,  says,  in  the  next  sentence, 
"For  we  know  in  part,  and  we  prophesy  in  part;  but  when  that 
which  is  perfect  is  come,  then  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be 
done  away."  These  gifts,  then,  which  were  only  given  in  part, 
were  to  cease  and  be  done  away  as  unnecessary,  not  seventeen 
centuries  ago,  as  false  teachers  assert,  but  "when  that  which  is 
perfect  is  come."  In  the  12th  verse  he  describes  the  condition 
of  the  church,  when  that  time  shall  come.  He  says,  "Now, 
we  see  through  a  glass  darkly;  but  then,  face  to  face  :  now,  I 
know  in  part ;  but  then  shall  I  know  even  as  also  I  am  known. ' ' 
Here  we  learn  that  the  time  when  these  gifts  are  to  cease  is 
not  to  be  here  in  this  world,  but  in  the  next  state  of  existence, 
where  the  Church  shall  no  longer  "see  through  a  glass  darkly, 
but  see  the  Lord  face  to  face, ' '  and  '  'know  as  they  are  known: ' ' 
then  "that  which  is  perfect"  will  have  come;  then  "tongues 
will  cease;"  then  "prophecy  in  part,"  and  "knowledge  in 
part' '  will  be  done  away ;  till  then,  all  these  gifts  are  neces.-ary. 
Therefore  these  sayings  of  the  apostle,  instead  of  favoring  the 
groundless  deceptions  of  new-revelation  deniers,  are  evidences 
of  the  most  positive  kind  in  favor  of  continued  revelation. 

J  5. — The  church  in  its  militant  and  imperfect  state,  com- 
pared with  its  triumphant,  immortal  and  perfect  state,  is,  in 
the  11th  verse,  represented  by  the  two  very  different  states  of 
childhood  and  manhood.  "When,"  says  St.  Paul,  "I  was  a 
child,  I  spake  as  a  child ;  understood  as  a  child ;  I 
thought  as  a  child ;  but  when  I  became  a  man,  I 
put  away  childish  things."  In  the  various  stages  of 
education  from  childhood  to  manhood,  certain  indis- 
pensible  rules,  and  diagrams,  and  scientific  instruments  are 
employed  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  pupil,  that  he  may 
acquire  a  correct  knowledge  of  the  sciences,  and  be  perfected  in 
his  studies.  When  the  principles  have  been  once  acquired, 
and  the  student  has  been  perfected  in  every  branch  of  education, 
he  can  dispense  with  many  of  his  maps,  charts,  globes,  books, 
diagrams,  etc. ,  as  being,  like  childish  things,  no  longer  neces- 
sary ;  they  were  useful  before  his  education  was  perfected  in 
imparting  the  desired  knowledge,  but,  having  fulfilled  their  pur- 


OF  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  137 

poses,  he  no  longer  needs  their  assistance.  For  instance,  the 
chemist,  before  sufficient  experiments  have  been  made,  cannot 
predict  in  full  the  result  of  the  union  of  several  different  ele- 
ments. It  is  true,  that  from  former  imperfect  experiments  he 
may  know  in  part,  and  prophesy  in  part,  what  will  be  the 
nature  and  properties  of  the  resulting  compound.  But  when 
he  has,  through  the  medium  of  a  good  chemical  apparatus, 
determined  by  a  perfect  experiment,  all  the  results,  laws,  and 
proportions  of  the  combination  of  the  elements  under  con- 
sideration, knowledge  in  part,  in  relation  to  the  results,  is  done 
away,  and  he  knows  in  full ;  he  no  longer  prophesies  in  part 
how  these  elements  will  act,  and  what  will  be  the  nature  and 
properties  of  the  compound,  for  his  knowledge  is  perfect  con- 
cerning it;  he  no  longer  needs  to  give  an  imperfect  prediction 
concerning  that  which  he  has  fully  seen,  and  known,  and  com- 
prehended ;  he  no  longer  looks  through  a  glass  darkly,  as  he 
formerly  did,  but  he  sees  the  principle  as  he  is  seen,  having 
learned  it  through  an  experiment ;  he  can  now  do  away  with 
the  apparatus,  and  still  retain  the  knowledge  that  he  formerly 
gained  by  it.  So  it  is  with  the  Church  in  relation  to  spiritual 
gifts.  While  in  this  state  of  existence  it  is  represented  as  a 
child ;  prophecy,  revelations,  tongues,  and  other  spiritual  gifts, 
are  the  instruments  of  education.  The  child  or  Church  can  no 
more  be  perfected  in  its  education  without  the  aid  of  these  gifts 
as  instruments,  than  the  chemist  could  in  his  researches  if  he 
were  deprived  of  the  necessary  apparatus  for  experiments.  As 
the  chemist  needs  his  laboratory  for  experiments,  as  long  as 
there  remains  any  undiscovered  truths  in  relation  to  the  ele- 
ments and  compounds  of  our  globes ;  so  does  the  Church  need 
the  great  laboratory  of  spiritual  knowledge — namely,  revela- 
tion and  prophecy,  as  long  as  it  knows  only  in  part.  Without 
this  heavenly  treasure,  the  child  can  never  progress  to  perfec- 
tion—can never  become  "a  perfect  man  in  Christ  Jesus" — can 
never  "see  as  it  is  seen,"  and  "know  as  it  is  known"— can 
never  attain  "to  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fullness  of 
Christ" — can  never  dwell  in  that  perfect  state  of  society  where 
they  see  the  Lord  face  to  face — where  fullness  of  knowledge, 
glory,  and  happiness  pervades  every  soul.  As  a  human  being, 
when  a  child,  speaks  as  a  child,  understands  as  a  child,  and 


138  DININE  AUTETENTICITT 

thinks  as  a  child ;  so  does  the  Church  in  this  slate  of  existence 
know  only  in  part :  but  as  the  child,  when  it  becomes  a  man, 
puts  away  childish  things ;  so  will  the  Church  put  away  such 
childish  things  as  "prophecy  in  part,"  "knowledge  in  part," 
and  seeing  in  part,  when  it  grows  up,  through  the  aid  of  these 
things,  to  a  perfect  man  in  Christ  Jesus:  that  which  is  in  part 
will  be  done  away  or  merged  into  the  greater  fullness  of 
knowledge  which  there  reigns.  Perfection  will  then  swallow 
up  imperfection ;  the  healing  power  will  then  be  done  away, 
for  no  sickness  will  be  there ;  tongues  and  interpretations  will 
then  cease,  for  one  pure  language  alone  will  be  spoken ;  the 
casting  out  of  devils  and  power  against  deadly  poisons  will  not 
then  be  needed,  for  in  heaven  circumstances  will  render  them 
unnecessary. 

16. — ^But  charity,  which  is  the  pure  love  of  God,  never 
faileth;  it  will  sit  enthroned  in  the  midst  of  the  glorified 
throng,  clothed  in  all  the  glory  and  splendor  of  its  native 
heaven.  As  charity,  then,  never  fails,  we  can  say,  with  the 
Apostle  Paul,  "Follow  after  charity,  and  desire  spiritual  gifts, 
but  rather  that  you  may  prophesy,"  for  all  these  things,  with 
faith  and  hope,  should  be  the  companions  of  charity  in  this 
world,  though  circumstances  will  require  some  of  them  to  part, 
"when  that  which  is  perfect  is  come ;"  but  while  traveling  in 
this  world  of  imperfection,  let  them  be  friends.  And  as  God 
has  joined  them  together  in  happy  wedlock  during  this  state  of 
existence,  let  no  man  put  them"  asunder.  That  habitation  that 
will  not  admit  them  all  as  occupants,  cannot  retain  either 
singly.  Faith,  Hope  and  Charity,  will  not  abide  where  their 
dear  friend  Immediate  Kevelation  is  rejected.  Though  Chris- 
tendom may  pass  bills  of  divorcement,  and  try  to  separate 
them,  yet  they  will  not  be  separated.  Wherever  they  are 
unitedly  received,  they  impart  salvation  and  eternal  Hfe ;  wher- 
ever either  is  rejected,  death — eternal  death — is  sure  to  be  the 
result. 

17. — New-revelation  deniers,  to  sustain  their  false  position, 
sometimes  refer  to  the  saying  of  our  Savior,  "For  all  the  pro- 
phets and  the  law  prophesied  until  John"  [Matthew  xi.  13.) 
From  this  they  draw  the  conclusion  that  John  was  to  be  the 
last  prophet  of  the  human  race  with  which  our  world  were  to  be 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  139 

favored ;  and  to  strengthen  this  conclusion  they  connect  this 
saying  with  the  following  prediction  of  Zechariah:  "And  it 
shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  that  I 
will  cut  off  the  names  of  the  idols  out  of  the  land,  and  they 
shall  no  more  be  remembered ;  and  also  I  will  cause  the  pro- 
phets and  the  unclean  spirit  to  pass  out  of  the  land.  And  it 
shall  come  to  pass,  that  when  any  shall  yet  prophesy,  then  his 
father  and  h'S  mother  that  begat  him  shall  say  unto  him :  Thou 
shalt  not  live ;  for  thou  speakest  lies  in  the  name  of  the  Lord; 
and  his  father  and  his  mother  that  begat  him  shall  thrust  him 
through  when  he  prophesieth.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in 
that  day,  that  the  prophets  shall  be  ashamed  every  one  of  his 
vision  when  he  hath  prophesied;  neither  shall  they  wear  a 
rough  garment  to  deceive"  {Zechariah  xiii.  2,  3,  4.)  It  is  said 
that  the  prophets  were  until  John,  after  which  the  Lord  caused 
the  prophets  to  pass  out  of  the  land,  as  no  longer  necessary. 
If  this  conclusion  be  correct,  then  the  "book  of  John's  pro- 
phecy," revealed  some  sixty-five  years  after  John  the  Baptist's 
death,  must  be  false.  If  there  were  to  be  no  more  prophets 
after  John,  then  Paul  must  have  been  entirely  mistaken  when 
he  says  to  the  Ephesians,  that  God,  "by  revelation,  made  known 
unto  me  the  mystery  which  in  other  ages  was  not  made  known 
unto  the  sons  of  men,  as  it  is  now  revealed  unto  His  holy 
apostles  and  prophets"  {Eph.  in.  3.  5.)  li  Paul's  word  be 
i,credited,  instead  of  the  words  of  the  false  teachers  of  latter 
les,  then  there  must  have  beenpropAets  connected  with  the 
ipostles  after  the  days  of  John,  and  prophets,  too,  who  received 
reater  mysteries  by  revelation  than  the  prophets  of  other 
jes.  This  agrees  with  another  saying  of  Paul,  that  "Grod 
lath  set  some  in  the  Church — first,  apostles;  secondarily, 
>ROPHETS;  thirdly,  teachers,"  etc.  (/.  Corinthians  xii.  28.) 
[n  accordance  with  this,  we  read  of  certain  prophets  in  the 
Christian  church  at  Antioch,  to  whom  the  Holy  Grhost  spake 
I  and  gave  directions  concerning  the  calling  and  missions  of  Paul 
[and  Barnabas  (see  Acts  xiii.)  After  the  daj's  of  John  the 
[Baptist,  we  read  of  Agabus,  the  prophet,  who  prophesied  of  a 
[great  famine  which  came  to  pass  in  the  days  of  Claudius 
^Caesar ;  and  also  the  four  daughters  of  Philip  the  Evangelist, 
:who  prophesied  of  the  persecution  which  awaited  Paul  at 


140  t)IVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

Jerusalem  {see  Acts).  To  reject  prophets  from  the  Christiail 
church  would  be  one  of  the  greatest  perversions  of  Grod's 
word. 

18. — The  prediction  of  Zechariah  to  which  we  have  referred 
has  not  yet  had  its  fulfillment;  for  "the  idols"  and  the 
"unclean  spirit"  there  spoken  of  have  not  yet  passed  away  out 
of  the  land;  they  are  not  yet '  'no  more  remembered, "  as  is  said  in 
this  prediction.  That  the  prophets  which  the  Lord  should 
cause  to  pass  away  were  to  be  false  prophets,  and  not  true 
ones,  is  evident  from  their  being  connected  with  the  idols  and 
unclean  spirit  which  were  all  to  pass  away  together.  These 
prophets,  are  no  doubt,  the  same  characters  which  are  spoken 
of  in  another  place  of  his  prophecy,  "For,  lo,  I  will  raise  up  a 
shepherd  in  the  land,  which  shall  not  visit  those  that  be  cut 
off,  neither  shall  seek  the  young  one,  nor  heal  that  that  is 
broken,  nor  feed  that  that  standeth  still:  but  he  shall  eat  the 
flesh  of  the  fat,  and  tear  their  claws  in  pieces.  Woe  to  the 
idol  shepherd  that  leaveth  the  flock  !  the  sword  shall  be  upon 
his  arm,  and  upon  his  right  eye :  his  arm  shall  be  clean  dried 
up,  and  his  right  eye  shall  be  utterly  darkened"  [Zechariah 
xi.  16,  17.)  When  the  Lord  cuts  off  the  names  of  the  idols 
out  of  the  land,  he  will  then  cause  the  sword  to  be  upon  '  'the 
arm"  and  upon  "the  right  eye"  of  the  "idol  shepherd;"  or, 
in  other  words,  the  prophets  and  the  unclean  spirit,  who  tear, 
and  devour,  and  destroy  the  flock,  and  eat  the  fat  thereof,  he 
will,  in  very  deed,  cause  them  "to  pass  away  out  of  the  land." 
This  destruction  of  idol  shepherds,  false  prophets,  etc. ,  will 
take  place  at  the  time,  or  a  little  after,  the  Savior's  second 
coming.  "In  that  day,"  says  Zechariah,  "the  Lord  shall  be 
king  over  all  the  earth,"  and  "there  shall  be  one  Lord  and 
His  name  one, ' '  the  names  of  the  idols  having  passed  away, 
being  no  more  remembered.  This  will  be  after  He  comes  with 
all  His  Saints  and  stands  upon  the  Mount  of  Olives,  as  is  pre- 
dicted in  this  same  connection.  Therefore  these  passages 
have  not  the  most  distant  allusion  to  the  doing  away  of  pro- 
phets from  the  Christian  church,  as  many  reverend  false 
teachers  assert.  None  but  the  most  ignorant  and  unreflecting 
could  ever  be  deceived  by  such  barefaced  and  glaring  perver- 
sions of  those  passages  by  modern  divines.     Were  it  not  to 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  141 

cover  up  their  apostasy,  ministers  of  modern  Christendom 
never  would  have  resorted  to  such  wilful  and  awfully  wicked 
perversions  of  Grod's  word — perversions,  too,  which,  if 
admitted,  would  destroy  many  of  the  very  books  of  the  Bible 
which  they  pretend  to  believe. 

19. — As  the  foregoing  are  the  only  passages  referred  to  by 
those  who  reject  new  revelation,  we  conclude  that  there  are  no 
others  that,  in  their  estimation,  have  any  bearing  upon  the  sub- 
ject; and  we  have  clearly  shown  that  these  passages  contain  not 
the  slightest  intimation  that  God  has  revealed  all  that  He  ever 
intended  to  give  to  man.  Therefore,  the  proposition  containing 
the  subject  matter  of  these  paragraphs  is  fully  established, 
and  it  can  be  asserted,  with  the  greatest  assurance,  and  with- 
out fear  of  contradiction,  that  it  is  not  unscriptural  to  expect 
more  revelation. 

TO   EXPECT  MORE  REVELATION   IS   NOT  UNREASONABLE. 

1. — In  the  foregoing  we  have  shown  that  in  so  far  as  the 
enemies  of  new  revelation  have  undertaken  to  prove  their 
position  by  scripture,  they  have  utterly  failed.  We  shall  now 
proceed  to  examine  the  reasons  offered  by  the  world  for  reject- 
ing new  revelation.  If  it  can  be  demonstrated  that  the  giving 
of  more  revelation  would  be  unreasonable,  then  all  professed 
revelation  should  be  rejected  at  once  without  investigation,  for 
it  could  not  be  otherwise  than  false. 

2. — It  is  said  that  God  revealed  enough  to  save  man  in 
ancient  days,  and  it  is  concluded  that  the  revelations  which 
saved  the  ancients,  will  save  men  in  all  future  generations,  and, 
therefore,  it  is  argued  that  it  is  unreasonable  to  expect  any 
more.  Now  we  must  freely  admit  that  God  revealed  enough 
to  save  man  in  ancient  times,  but  that  these  were  sufficient  for 
future  generations,  we  deny.  No  one  will  for  a  moment  dis- 
pute but  that  the  revelations  given  to  Abel  were  sufficient  to 
save  him  ;  but  to  argue  that  Abel's  revelations  were  sufficient 
for  all  future  generations,  would  be  the  very  hight  of  absurdity. 
The  revealed  will  of  God  to  Abel,  though  sufficient  to  save 
him,  was  altogether  insufficient  to  guide  Noah  and  his  family; 
nothing  short  of  a  new  revelation  could  unfold  to  him  the 
awful  judgment  that  awaited  the  world  by  a  universal  deluge : 


142  DIVINE  ATTTHENTlCltt 

uothiDg  short  of  a  new  revelation  could  point  out  to  him  the 
way  of  escape.  But  new  revelation  was  as  unpopular  to  the 
antediluvians  as  it  is  now  to  the  apostate  churches  of  the  nin- 
teenth  century.  They,  without  doubt,  considered  Noah  an 
impostor  for  offering  to  them  a  new  revelation,  when  Abel  and 
Enoch  had  enough  to  save  them.  In  vain  did  Noah  urge  upon 
them  the  necessity  of  believing  in  his  message ;  in  vain  did  he 
portray  the  awful  consequences  of  rejecting  it ;  they  considered 
the  revelations  of  their  forefathers  all-sufficient  without  any 
additional  ones ;  and  thus  the  whole  world,  except  eight  per- 
sons, were  carried  away  with  the  fatal  delusion  that  new  reve- 
lation was  unnecessary,  and  the  whole  mass  of  deluded  fana- 
tics perished  together  as  a  fearful  warning  to  all  the  enemies 
of  new  revelation  who  should  live  after  them. 

3. — Lot,  though  a  righteous  man,  could  not  have  been  saved 
from  the  shower  of  fire  and  brimstone  about  to  be  poured 
upon  the  cities  of  the  plain,  had  he  not  believed  in  new  reve- 
lation, pointing  out  to  him  his  only  course  of  safety.  In  vain 
did  he  plead  with  his  kindred  to  believe  in  new  revelation,  and 
depart  out  of  Sodom  to  escape  the  threatened  judgment;  he 
seemed  to  them  as  one  that  mocked.  They  doubtless  thought, 
like  modern  divines,  that  the  old  revelations  that  saved  their 
fathers  would  also  save  them ;  they  persisted  in  their  strong 
delusions  until  overwhelmed  by  a  shower  of  fire ;  and  as  it 
was  with  the  cities  of  the  plain,  so  shall  it  also  be  with  the 
multitude  of  all  nations  who  are  enemies  to  new  revelation 
in  the  days  of  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man :  they  shall 
become  as  stubble  in  the  midst  of  the  devouring  flame,  and 
shall,  like  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  be  punished  with  the  venge- 
ance of  eternal  fire. 

4. — When  Jesus  offered  to  the  Jews  a  new  revelation  they 
immediately  appealed  to  the  old  ones,  saying,  "We  have 
Moses  and  the  prophets,  but  as  for  this  man  Christ  Jesus,  we 
know  not  whence  He  is. ' '  The  devil  had  put  it  into  their 
hearts  to  suppose  that  the  revelations  of  their  forefathers  were 
sufficient,  and  for  any  person  to  offer  them  a  new  one  was  con- 
sidered an  imposition  ;  they  continued  to  reject  every  thing  of 
the  kind,  until  they  brought  upon  themselves  and  their 
beloved  city  swift  destruction. 


I 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF   MORMON.  143 

5. — The  apostate  Gentile  churches  of  the  present  century 
are  following  in  the  same  dangerous  path.  The  cunning  arch 
impostors  of  modern  times,  under  the  name  of  Popish  and 
Protestant  ministers,  have  persuaded  millions  of  their  deluded 
votaries  to  reject  every  thing  under  the  name  of  new  revela- 
tion, and  to  receive  only  such  ancient  books  as  they  have 
named  in  their  "Articles  of  Religion."  If  this  wicked  impo- 
sition had  only  deceived  here  and  there  a  few,  there  would  be 
some  hopes  of  mankind ;  but  alas !  the  delusion  is  as  popular 
as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Noah.  Learned  and  unlearned — rulers 
and  ruled — philosophers  and  the  ignorant — the  great  and  the 
small — the  high  and  the  low,  and  in  fine,  all  nations  and  people, 
have  fallen  into  this  whirlpool  of  delusion — this  vortex  of 
destruction,  that  has  swallowed  up  nations  and  generations  of 
ancient  time«,  and  left  a  sad  but  fearful  warning  to  those  who 
should  live  in  after  ages. 

6. — Nothing  can  be  more  erroneous  than  to  suppose  that  the 
revelations  given  to  one  individual,  people,  or  generation,  are 
sufficient  to  fully  develop  the  duties  of  another  individual, 
people,  or  generation.  That  there  are  many  duties  which  are 
common  to  all  mankind  in  every  generation,  is  a  truth  that  no 
one  can  dispute.  It  is  equally  clear  that  there  are  many  duties 
which  are  limited  in  their  nature,  and  only  required  of  such 
as  God  may  name  or  designate  under  existing  circumstances. 
Those  general  laws  which  are  universal  in  their  application, 
though  revealed  ever  so  often,  are  always  the  same ;  they  are 
as  unchangeable  as  the  great  Law  Giver  in  whom  they  origi- 
nated; while  those  individual  or  circumstantial  laws  which 
are  limited  to  the  individuals  for  whom  they  are  given,  are 
changeable  in  their  nature.  New  circumstances  require  new 
laws  which  must  continue  to  change  in  order  to  suit  the  con- 
dition of  the  people.  No  man,  either  in  ancient  or  modern 
times,  has  ever  yet  learned  his  whole  duty  from  the  general 
laws  which  God  has  revealed.  Without  new  revelation 
adapted  to  the  peculiar  condition  of  himself  as  an  individual, 
and  varied  at  sundry  times,  according  to  the  change  of  cir- 
cumstances, he  will  forever  remain  ignorant  of  a  part  of  his  duty. 

7. — As  the  present  generation  are  so  universally  in  error,  in 
supposing  that  the  ancient  revelations  are  sufficient  for  all 

6* 


144  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

present  purposes,  we  shall  point  out  still  further  the  absurdity 
of  this  supposition  by  showing  the  distinction  between 
general  and  circumstantial  laws,  as  revealed  to  govern  the 
actions  of  men,  and  by  pointing  out  the  absolute  necessity  of 
continued  revelation,  growing  out  of  the  nature  of  the  varied 
circumstances  in  which  man  is  placed.  General  laws,  given  to 
regulate  the  actions  of  all  men,  are  those  which  prohibit  them 
from  doing  that  which  in  its  very  nature  is  evil ;  and  which 
enjoin  upon  them  to  do  that  which  in  its  very  nature  is  good. 
Circumstantial  laws  are  those  which  prohibit  man  from  doing 
that  which  in  its  nature  is  not  evil,  but  which,  if  done,  cir- 
cumstances would  render  evil ;  and  which  enjoin  upon  him  to 
do  that  which  in  its  nature  is  neither  good  nor  evil,  but  which 
if  done,  circumstances  would  render  good. 

8. — The  first  class  of  laws  are  termed  general  because  of 
their  universal  adaptation  to  the  conditions  of  all  men  in  all 
generations  and  ages,  and  under  every  dispensation  of  Grod  to 
man.  There  are  many  things  which  are  naturally  evil,  and 
no  change  of  circumstances  can  render  them  otherwise  than 
evil:  they  are  recognized  as  evil  by  all  men,  whether  in  a 
civilized  or  savage  state :  there  is  but  one  law  of  conscience 
in  regard  to  them,  independent  of  all  revealed  law.  That 
which  tends  to  unjustly  injure  another  in  his  person  or  charac- 
ter is  naturally  an  evil :  the  law  of  conscience  tells  all  men 
that  it  is  evil :  the  revealed  law  of  God  coincides  with  that  of 
conscience,  and  proclaims  it  an  evil,  and  forbids  mankind 
under  a  heavy  penalty  to  unjustly  injure  one  another.  To 
bear  false  witness  against  a  neighbor  is  an  evil  in  its  very 
nature.  It  is  not  the  revealed  law  of  Grod  which  makes  it  an 
evil,  but  it  is  clearly  perceived  to  be  an  evil  where  the  revealed 
law  is  unknown.  To  take  the  advantage  of  a  good  man  and 
cheat  him  out  of  his  property — to  rob,  or  steal,  or  wantonly 
waste,  or  destroy  it — is  an  evil,  recognized  by  the  consciences 
of  all  men :  it  is  not  necessary  for  the  revealed  law  to  pro- 
claim these  things  as  evil  in  order  that  man  way  perceive 
them  as  such ;  for  the  savage,  as  well  as  the  sage,  readily 
perceives,  by  the  aid  of  his  conscience  alone,  that  the  inherent 
nature  of  these  things  is  vicious.  To  murder  or  shed  inno- 
cent blood  is  distinguished  by  all  men  to  be  a  great  evil :  there 


OF  THE  BOOK 

is  something  in  the  nature  of  the  act  that  proclaims  loudly 
that  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  of  evils.  If  God  had  never 
revealed  it  an  evil  in  written  words,  yet  mankind  would  be 
none  the  less  assured  of  its  evil  nature.  The  object  of  the 
revealed  law  is  not  merely  to  show  that  these  acts  are  evil 
and  vicious,  but  to  show  the  penalty  and  consequences  of 
such  acts — to  show  that  judgment  and  misery  must  necessarily 
result  from  a  vicious  course  of  life.  We  have  now  given  a 
few  items  of  evil  that  are  in  their  nature  evil,  and  against 
which  Grod  has  enacted  gmercH  laws  to  govern  men  in  all 
ages. 

9. — We  shall  next  point  out  some  things  which  in  their 
very  nature  are  good,  and  which  the  consciences  of  all  men, 
at  once  perceive  to  be  good.  To  show  pity  to  the  poor — to 
feed  the  hungry  and  clothe  the  naked — to  administer  relief  to 
the  sick  and  afflicted— to  do  unto  our  neighbors  that  which 
we,  in  like  circumstances,  would  consider  they  ought  to  do 
for  us — and  in  fine,  to  love  them,  and  seek  to  benefit  them, 
and  make  them  happy,  are  things  which  are  inherently  good : 
it  is  not  a  command  to  do  these  things  which  renders  them 
good :  they  were  good  before  any  revealed  law  enjoined  man- 
kind to  do  them  ;  they  were  good  independent  of  all  revealed 
law ;  they  were  good  from  the  beginning  in  their  very  nature ; 
and  man  is  so  constituted  that  he  cannot  look  upon  them 
otherwise  than  as  being  inherently  good.  These  are  the 
virtuous  acts  which  the  revealed  law  has  enjoined  upon  men 
to  perform.  It  is  not  the  object  of  the  revealed  law,  merely 
to  point  out  that  these  acts  are  good  and  virtuous,  for  this 
was  already  understood,  but  the  object  was  to  enjoin  upon 
man  the  importance  of  doing  good— to  make  known  to  him 
the  reward  which  should  be  received  for  every  virtuous  act, 
and  the  happy  results  which  should  follow  a  virtuous  course 
of  life.  We  have  now  given  a  few  items  of  good  that  are  in 
and  of  themselves  naturally  good,  concerning  which  Grod  has 
enacted  general  laws  to  govern  man  in  every  age  and  dispen- 
sation. 

10.— These  items  of  good  and  evil,  together  with  all  others 
of  like  nature,  are  the  principal  items  embodied  in  a  code  of 
laws  which  are  intended  to  be  general  in  their  application. 


146  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

Those  who  violate  them,  though  they  are  not  acquainted  with 
the  revealed  law  concerning  them,  yet  they  will  be  judged  by 
the  law  of  their  consciences  so  far  as  they  were  able  to  perceive 
the  nature  of  right  and  wrong,  but  not  being  acquainted  with 
the  penalty  annexed  to  these  laws,  they  will  only  be  punished 
with  a  few  stripes ;  while  those  who  have,  not  only  the  law  of 
conscience,  but  also  the  revealed  law,  and  shall  violate  its 
sacred  commands,  will  be  beaten  with  many  stripes, 

11. — ^There  are  many  things  which  are  not  naturally  evil,  but 
which  become  evil  circumstantially ;  for  instance,  God  having 
finished  this  creation  in  six  days,  rested  on  the  seventh,  and 
from  this  circumstance,  he  ordained  the  Sabbath  as  a  day  of 
rest,  and  commanded  that  man  should  not  labor  on  that  day. 
Now  a  man  unacquainted  with  this  revealed  law,  would  be  as 
likely  to  labor  on  the  Sabbath  as  on  any  other  day ;  there 
would  be  nothing  in  the  nature  of  this  act,  nor  in  the  nature 
of  anything  connected  with  it,  that  would  indicate  to  him 
that  he  was  doing  an  evil.  Those  things  which  are  naturally  evil 
are  the  only  ones  which  are  perceptible  to  the  conscience  as  such, 
without  the  light  of  revelation ;  and  consequently,  God  will 
neither  judge,  condemn,  nor  punish  a  man  who  has  ignor- 
antly  transgressed  and  done  an  evil  which  his  conscience 
could  not  possibly  detect  as  such,  and  unto  whom  he  has 
never  sent  the  revealed  law.  To  labor  on  the  Sabbath  day, 
therefore,  is  only  an  evil  because  it  is  forbidden;  there  is  noth- 
ing in  the  nature  of  it  that  is  evil :  not  so  with  stealing,  bear- 
ing false  witness,  committing  adultery,  murdering,  and  such 
like  crimes ;  they  are  all  evils  by  nature,  though  they  were 
not  forbidden ;  for  the  conscience  of  the  savage,  as  well  as  the 
civilized  man,  regards  them  as  such. 

12. — Incorporated  in  the  code  of  general  laws,  concerning 
good  and  evil,  are  many  other  laws  of  a  circumstantial  nature 
which  are  also  binding  upon  all  people  to  whom  they  are  sent 
with  proper  authority ;  such,  for  instance,  as  the  law  of  bap- 
tism— the  laying  on  of  hands  in  confirmation,  in  ordination, 
and  in  healing  the  sick — anointing  of  the  sick  with  oil  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  with  prayer — the  Lord's  supper,  and  the 
keeping  of  the  Sabbath  day  holy.  These  are  duties  revealed 
in  ancient  times  to  be  perpetuated  among  all  people  to  whom 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  147 

they  should  be  sent  with  divine  authority.  But  these  general 
laws  of  good  and  evil,  including  all  the  annexed  ordinances  and 
institutions,  intended  to  be  perpetuated,  unfold  but  a  very 
small  portion  of  the  individual  duties  of  man,  arising  from 
the  circumstances  with  which  he  is  surrounded.  Indeed,  no 
code  of  laws  which  were  intended  to  be  generally  applicable 
could,  from  their  nature,  possibly  unfold  the  vast  variety  of 
constantly  changing  duties  required  even  of  one  man.  Much 
more  impossible  would  it  be  for  such  a  code  to  make  manifest 
the  multifarious  duties  of  some  fifteen  thousand  millions  of 
the  human  race  who  have  lived  since  the  days  of  the 
apostles. 

13, — We  shall  now  point  out  a  few  specimens  of  revelation 
which  were  not  intended  to  be  perpetuated,  being  confined  to  a 
very  limited  period  of  time,  and  only  intended  for  the  benefit 
of  those  for  whom  they  were  given ;  these  may  be  termed 
peculiar  or  circumstantial  revelations,  and  are  as  necessary  to 
fulfill  the  purposes  of  Grod  for  the  well  being  of  man,  as  those 
of  a  higher  order  or  of  a  more  general  nature.  Circumstances 
required  a  peculiar  revelation  to  be  given  to  Noah  in  relation 
to  building  an  ark.  The  peculiarity  of  this  revelation  will  be 
seen  from  the  fact,  that  Noah  was  required  to  do  a  work  alto- 
gether different  from  what  had  been  required  of  any  man 
anterior  to  his  day.  If  the  objector  should  say,  that  this 
revelation  to  Noah,  having  reference  to  temporal  salvation, 
was  of  minor  importance,  compared  with  those  great  revela- 
tions on  moral  subjects,  and  should  conclude  that  it  was  not  a 
matter  of  much  consequence  whether  such  a  revelation  was 
given  ^or  not,  we  reply,  that  the  all- wise  Creator  who  knows 
what  is  for  the  good  of  man,  does  not  give  revelation  upon 
subjects  of  no  importance:  but  every  thing  connected  with 
revelation,  is  of  great  importance,  and  intended  not  only  for 
the  temporal,  but  for  the  eternal  good  of  man.  For  man  to 
reject  a  command  of  God  in  relation  to  temporal  things,  or 
temporal  salvation,  would  have  a  serious  bearing  upon  his 
future  state,  and  deprive  him  of  future  salvation.  Therefore 
all  things  which  God  commands  a  person  to  do,  however 
unimportant  they  may  appear  to  finite  creatures,  are  never- 
theless of  infinite  importance,  and  will  most  assuredly  influ- 
ence his  eternal  destiny. 


148  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

14. — Peculiar  revelations  were  given  to  Abraham  :  he  was 
commanded  to  depart  out  of  Chaldea,  his  native  country,  and 
go  to  a  land  wherein  he  was  a  stranger.  This  command  was 
not  general,  but  individual,  in  its  application.  Abraham  and 
his  household  seem  to  be  the  only  persons  required  to  obey 
it.  Here,  then,  was  a  duty  which  they  never  could  have 
learned  from  any  general  laws :  new  revelation  alone  could 
make  it  manifest.  If  we  read  the  short  history  of  Abra- 
ham's life,  we  find  a  great  variety  of  duties  made  known  to 
him  of  which  he  must  forever  have  remained  in  ignorance,  had  it 
not  been  for  new  revelation.  At  one  time  he  was  commanded 
to  circumcise  all  the  males  of  his  household  ;  at  another,  to 
walk  through  the  land  of  Canaan,  in  the  length  of  it  and  in 
the  breadth  of  it ;  at  another,  to  lift  up  his  eyes  eastward, 
westward,  northward  and  southward,  with  a  promise  that  all 
the  land  over  which  he  traveled,  and  which  his  eyes  beheld, 
should  be  given  to  him  and  his  posterity  for  an  everlasting 
possession ;  at  another  time  he  was  commanded  to  offer  as  a 
sacrifice  different  kinds  of  animals  and  fowls ;  at  another,  to 
offer  his  only  son  Isaac  as  a  burnt  offering  upon  a  mountain ; 
at  another,  to  stay  his  hand,  and  not  destroy  the  child.  Now, 
all  these  were  duties  which  could  not  be  learned  from  ancient 
revelation,  from  the  fact  that  no  other  people  had  been  pre- 
viously commanded  to  do  these  things.  They  were  duties 
that  could  not  be  incorporated  in  a  system  of  Iws  that  were 
intended  to  be  general  in  their  application,  and  for  this  very 
reason  Abraham  considered  new  revelation  indispensably 
necessary ;  it  was  the  only  possible  way  to  learn  the  whole  of 
his  duty.  0 !  how  different  were  the  feelings  and  views  of 
this  good  old  patriarch  from  those  entertained  by  modern 
enemies  to  new  revelation !  The  one  saw  the  impossibility  of 
learning  the  whole  will  of  God  from  previous  revelation ;  the 
others  consider  that  a  few  ancient  books  called  the  Bible 
reveal  the  whole  will  of  Grod  to  all  nations  and  generations  for 
the  last  seventeen  centuries.  0 !  the  impenetrable  darkness 
of  apostate  Christianity !  It  is  heart-sickening  to  every  man 
of  Grod !  Who  among  the  saints  of  ancient  times  could  have 
supposed  that  a  race  of  people  would  arise  professing  to 
believe  in  the  revelations  of  old  time,  but  considering  that  all 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  149 

new  ones  were  entirely  unnecessary?  The  worshipers  of  Baal 
were  far  more  consistent  than  apostate  Christendom  ;  for  they 
had  a  faint  hope  that  Baal  would  hear  and  answer  them ;  but 
modern  divines  have  no  expectation  that  their  God  will  say 
anything  to  them  or  to  their  followers.  Baal's  followers  cried 
from  morning  until  evening  for  him  to  give  unto  them  a 
miraculous  manifestation,  in  the  presence  of  Elijah ;  but  to 
even  expect  a  supernatural  manifestation  or  revelation  now  is 
considered,  by  modern  religionists,  as  the  greatest  absurdity. 
Baal's  worshipers,  therefore,  with  all  their  absurdities, 
approached  nearer  the  religion  of  heaven,  in  some  of  their 
expectations,  than  those  who  falsely  call  themselves  Chris- 
tians. 

15. — The  history  of  the  people  of  Grod,  from  the  earliest 
ages,  shows  that  continued  revelation  was  the  only  way  that 
they  could  possibly  learn  all  their  duties,  or  Grod's  will  con- 
cerning themselves.  They  never  once  thought  that  the 
revelations  given  to  previous  generations  were  sufficient  to 
guide  them  into  every  duty.  A  doctrine  which  rejects  new 
revelation  is  a  new  doctrine,  invented  by  the  devil  and  his 
agents  during  the  second  century  after  Christ ;  it  is  a  doctrine 
in  direct  opposition  to  the  one  believed  in  and  enjoyed  by  the 
saints  in  all  ages.  Now,  to  subvert  and  do  away  a  doctrine 
four  thousand  years  old,  and  introduce  a  new  one  in  its  stead, 
can  only  be  done  by  divine  authority.  But  have  the  propaga- 
tors of  this  new  doctrine,  at  any  period  since  its  invention, 
established  its  authority  either  by  scripture,  reason,  miracles 
or  any  other  way?  If  not,  how  dare  they  to  break  in  upon  the 
long-established  order  of  God,  and  invent  a  new  doctrine, 
excluding  all  further  revelation  ?  How  dare  they  to  promul- 
gate a  doctrine  so  entirely  different  from  what  the  ancient 
saints  ever  believed  or  thought  of  ?  How  dare  they  assume 
and  teach  that  God  will  no  more  speak  with  man,  when  He  never 
had  failed,  in  any  instance,  to  converse  with  His  saints  in 
every  previous  generation  ?  How  dare  they  call  themselves 
the  people  of  God,  and  yet  reject  the  great,  fundamental,  and 
infinitely  important  doctrine  of  continued  revelation^  which 
always  distinguished  the  people  of  God  from  every  other 
people  ?    None  but  the  most  blind  and  determined  enemies  to 


150  DIVINE  ATJTHENTICiTT 

new  revelation  could  for  a  moment  believe  the  Bible,  and  at 
the  same  time  believe  that  the  ancient  saints  and  the  apostate 
churches  of  Christendom  were  both  the  people  of  God :  the 
one  class  believed  in  a  doctrine  of  continued  revelation, 
established  not  only  by  several  thousand  years'  experience, 
but  by  a  continued  series  of  miracles  during  that  long  period 
of  time ;  while  the  other  class  have  entirely  excluded  this 
heavenly  doctrine  from  their  midst,  and,  as  a  substitute,  have 
invented,  through  the  aid  of  uninspired  men,  "Articles  of 
Religion,"  "Creeds,"  "Disciplines,"  "Commentaries,"  etc. 
Who,  then,  with  a  knowledge  of  these  two  systems  of  religion, 
so  widely  diflferent  and  opposed  to  each  other,  would  have  the 
hardihood  or  wicked  presumption  to  call  the  latter  Christians 
or  the  Church  of  God? 

16. — As  the  doctrine,  then,  of  continued  revelation  is  one 
that  was  always  believed  by  the  saints,  it  ought  not  to  be 
required  of  any  man  to  prove  the  necessity  of  the  continua- 
tion of  such  a  doctrine.  If  it  were  a  new  doctrine  never 
before  introduced  into  the  world,  it  would  become  necessary 
to  establish  its  divine  origin ;  but,  inasmuch  as  it  is  only  a 
continuation  oF  an  old  doctrine,  established  thousands  of  years 
ago,  and  which  has  never  ceased  to  be  believed  and  enjoyed 
by  the  saints,  it  would  be  the  greatest  presumption  to  call  it 
in  question  at  this  late  period ;  and  hence  it  would  seem 
almost  superfluous  to  undertake  to  prove  the  necessity  of  its 
continuance.  Instead  of  being  required  to  do  this,  all  people 
have  the  right  to  call  upon  the  new-revelation  deniers  of  the 
last  seventeen  centuries  to  bring  forward  their  strong  reason- 
ings and  testimonies  for  breaking  in  upon  the  long- established 
order  of  heaven,  and  introducing  a  new  doctrine  so  entirely 
difl*erent  from  the  old.  If  they  wish  their  new  doctrine  to  be 
believed,  let  them  demonstrate  it  to  be  of  divine  origin,  or 
else  all  people  will  be  justified  in  rejecting  it,  and  in  still 
cleaving  to  the  old.  When  Jesus  came  and  did  away  the  old 
law  of  ,Moses,  and  introduced  a  new  system  of  religion,  he 
established  the  divine  origin  of  the  new  by  the  most  incontro- 
vertible testimony ;  the  most  splendid  miracles  were  wrought 
both  by  Himself  and  His  followers.  Now,  if  the  new-revela- 
tion deniers  will  bring  as  much  testimony  as  Jesus  and  His 


OF  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  15 1 

followers  did  to  establish  their  new  doctrine,  then  they  may, 
with  some  little  propriety,  call  upon  mankind  to  believe  in  it ; 
but  as  yet  they  have  given  the  world  no  evidence  whatever 
only  their  own  conjectures.  We  are  called  upon  to  reject  a 
doctrine  much  older  than  the  law  of  Moses,  and  of  far  greater 
importance,  and  to  receive  in  its  stead  the  doctrines  of  unin- 
spired men,  excluding  all  new  communications  from  heaven; 
and  as  yet  not  one  testimony  has  been  offered  the  world  in 
confirmation  of  this  newly-invented  religion.  How  strange 
that  any  one  should  ever  have  been  deceived  with  such 
absurdities !  How  incomprehensibly  more  strange  that  mil- 
lions should  still  cling  to  the  awful  delusion  ! 

17. — When  a  doctrine  has  been  originated  by  divine  author- 
ity, and  has  been  believed  and  enjoyed  by  the  people  of  God, 
without  an  exception,  in  all  ages,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to 
expect  the  continuance  of  such  doctrine  among  the  Saints  in 
all  future  ages^  unless  some  cause  can  be  shown  for  its  discon- 
tinuance :  for  instance,  the  doctrine  of  Faith,  Repentance 
and  Eemissson  of  Sins,  was  originated  and  taught  by  divine 
authority  immediately  after  the  fall,  and,  like  the  doctrine  of 
continued  revelation,  was  embraced  and  enjoyed  by  every 
people  of  Grod  until  the  apostles  fell  asleep.  Now,  if  a 
people  had  arisen  in  the  second  century  of  the  Christian  era 
who  excluded  from  their  religion  any  of  these  principles, 
would  not  such  a  newly-invented  religion  have  been  considered 
as  a  gross  imposition,  and  all  its  originators  as  the  basest  of 
impostors  ?  At  least,  would  not  the  inventors  of  such  a 
religion  have  been  required  to  show  some  authority  or  cause  for 
thus  discontinuing  a  doctrine  which  even  they  themselves 
continued  to  admit  was  necessary  in  all  previous  ages  ?  If 
faith,  repentance,  remission  of  sins  and  continued  revelation, 
were  necessary  for  four  thousand  years,  what  reason  can  be 
shown  that  any  one  of  these  heavenly  principles  should  ever 
afterwards  become  unnecessary  ?  If  the  second  century  were 
chosen  as  the  memorable  period  for  the  discontinuance  of  an 
essential  and  long-estabhshed  principle  of  religion,  and  for  the 
introduction  of  a  new  religion  diverse  from  what  the  people 
of  God  ever  before  enjoyed,  then,  indeed,  it  must  be  a  period 
of  great  importance  in  the  history  of  man.      But  the  great 


152  DIVINE  AtJTHENTICITY 

and  infinitely  important  question  is,  how  shall  mankind  know 
that  this  sudden  and  unexpected  change  in  the  religion  of 
heaven  was  produced  by  divine  authority  ?  Have  its  propaga- 
tors ever  established  its  divine  authenticity  in  any  way  ?  If 
not,  then  they  must  be  the  vilest  and  most  dangerous  impos- 
tors that  ever  disgraced  our  earth,  deceiving,  not  a  few  only, 
but  their  thousands  of  millions,  and  corrupting  all  nations 
with  their  abominable  and  soul-destroying  apostasy. 

18. — ^A  doctrine  or  principle  established  by  divine  authority 
will  require  divine  authority  to  do  it  away.  That  which  is 
established  by  a  superior  being  cannot  be  abolished  by  an 
inferior  power.  This  may  be  beautifully  illustrated  by  the 
kingdoms,  governments  and  powers  of  the  earth.  Each  has 
its  law-making  department:  this  power  is  sometimes  invested 
in  a  legislative  body  and  sometimes  in  the  king,  queen  or 
emperor.  Whenever  any  of  these  departments  enact  laws  for 
the  welfare  of  the  people,  they  are  considered  to  be  in  force 
and  binding  upon  all  citizens  until  the  law-making  depart- 
ment shall  repeal  them,  and  notify  the  people  of  such  repeal. 
Private  citizens  or  inferior  councils  could  never  repeal  that 
which  was  enacted  and  ordained  by  higher  powers.  If  the 
king  ordained  the  law,  then  none  but  the  king  can  repeal  it. 
If  the  people  should  undertake  to  abrogate  or  do  away  the 
law,  it  would  be  considered  an  act  of  rebellion  against  the 
'government.  So  if  the  king  should  ordain  certain  rights  or 
privileges  to  be  enjoyed  by  his  subjects,  no  inferior  power 
would  have  a  right  to  disannul  such  legal  grants — none  would 
have  a  right  to  say  that  the  privileges,  ordained  by  the  king 
in  behalf  of  his  subjects,  were  done  away.  The  power  that 
ordains  rights  and  privileges,  can  alone  disannul  them.  The 
subjects  have  no  right  to  suppose  that  any  law  or  privilege 
is  done  away,  unless  the  law-making  department  has  notified 
the  people  to  that  efi'ect.  So  it  is  with  the  kingdom  of  God. 
God  is  the  King ;  He  is  the  legal  Law- Giver  to  all  the  child- 
ren of  the  kingdom;  He  has  ordained  certain  rights  and 
privileges  to  be  enjoyed  by  them  all ;  He  has  given  to  them 
all  the  right  of  petition,  with  a  sure  and  certain  promise  that 
He  will  hear  and  answer.  These  rights  and  privileges  were 
enjoyed  for  about  four  thousand  years  by  all  the  subjects  of 


I 


Of  TItE  fiOOK  OF  MORMON.  l53 

His  government ;  they  petitioned  the  King,  to  show  them  by 
revelation  many  great  and  glorious  things,  which  He,  accord- 
ing to  His  promise,  granted.  Among  the  promised  rights 
and  blessings,  granted  by  the  great  and  unchangeable  Law- 
Giver,  may  be  enumerated,  the  privilege  of  conversing  with 
Him  and  with  His  angels,  and  to  receive  knowledge  by  visions, 
by  dreams,  by  the  revelations  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  by 
prophecy.  After  having  enjoyed  those  chartered  rights  for 
many  thousand  years,  the  people  all  at  once  assumed  the 
authority  to  disannul  them,  and  thus  came  out  in  open  rebel- 
lion against  the  government  of  the  Almighty.  Oh,  what  a 
fearful  responsibility  rests  upon  those  who  have  thus  dared  to 
repeal  and  disannul  that  which  Grod  had  established! 

19. — What  would  be  the  consequences,  if  a  portion  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Glreat  Britain  were  to  rise  up  against  some  of 
the  dearest  and  most  precious  rights  which  had  been  granted 
by  the  law-making  department,  and  which  had  been  enjoyed 
by  the  subjects  for  many  generations?  Would  they  not  be 
considered  in  a  state  of  rebellion?  Would  they  not  be  taken 
and  tried  before  the  proper  tribunals,  and  condemned  and 
punished,  as  guilty  of  treason?  How  much  sorer  punish- 
ment, then,  must  the  world  of  Christendom  receive !  For 
their  crime  is  of  much  greater  magnitude.  They  have  not 
rebelled  against  the  governments  of  the  earth,  but  against 
the  government  of  heaven  ;  they  have  repealed,. disannuled, 
and  rebelled  against  some  of  the  most  sacred  rights  granted 
by  the  Kings  of  kings.  If  such  a  rebellion  against  the  laws 
of  earthly  governments  will  subject  the  person  to  death,  what 
must  be  the  punishment  of  those  who  rebel  against  heavenly 
governments  !  Oh,  Christendom !  what  hast  thou  done? 
Thou  hast  closed  the  door  of  heaven  upon  thyself,  and  upon 
the  nations  of  the  earth!  Thou  hast  made  the  windows 
of  heaven  as  brass  that  cannot  easily  be  penetrated !  Thou 
hast  rejected  the  key  of  revelation,  and  thus  cut  off  all  com- 
munications from  the  heavenly  worlds !  Thou  hast  repealed 
and  made  void  the  chartered  privileges,  and  most  sacred 
rights,  ordained  of  Grod,  for  the  comforting,  teaching  and 
perfecting  of  His  Saints !  Thou  hast  veiled  the  heavens  in 
darkness,  and  shrouded  the  earth  with  a  black  mantle  of  error! 


154  DIVINE  AUTnENTlClTY 

Oh,  Christendom,  what  wilt  thou  do !  And  whither  wilt 
thou  hide  thyself  in  the  day  of  thy  visitation — in  the  day  of 
the  fierce  anger  of  the  Almighty!  The  mountains  and  rocks 
will  not  cover  thy  shame,  nor  hide  thy  guilt  from  the  eye  of 
Him  who  searcheth  all  things !  Repent,  then,  of  thy  great 
wickedness,  oh,  thou  destroyer  of  souls !  no  longer  lift  thy 
voice  against  the  glorious  gift  of  revelation ;  no  longer  deny 
the  chartered  rights  of  the  people  of  Grod ;  no  longer  rebel 
against  the  ministry  of  angels,  and  the  enjoyments  of  the  gifts 
of  vision  and  prophecy ;  no  longer  seek  to  repeal  that  which 
heaven  has  ordained,  and  which  the  children  of  God  enjoyed 
for  four  thousand  years.  Remember  that  divine  gifts  and 
divine  laws  can  only  be  repealed  by  divine  authority. 

20. — We  are  told  by  the  ministers  of  Christendom,  that 
Grod  has  repealed  the  gift  of  revelation,  as  no  longer  necessary. 
But  they  have  utterly  failed  up  to  this  day  to  point  out  the 
revelation  that  contains  this  repeal.  The  Old  Testament  does 
not  contain  it — the  New  Testament  does  not  contain  it.  As 
the  repeal  act  is  not  found  in  the  Bible,  where  shall  it  be 
found?  This  is  a  question  of  great  importance  !  If  there 
be  such  an  act  of  repeal,  it  must  be  somewhere,  or  how  could 
these  ministers  have  known  it?  We  call  upon  Christendom 
to  bring  forward  out  of  their  sacred  archives  the  repeal 
LAW.  Let  us  search  it — let  us  see  what  Grod  has  said  about 
the  world's  having  revelation  enough.  Let  us  see  what  time 
the  repeal  was  passed,  when  it  came  in  force — how  long  it  is 
to  continue  in  force — and  whether  there  is  any  probability  of  a 
restoration  of  the  former  privileges?  None  can  consider 
this  call  for  the  repeal  law  unreasonable.  If  God  has  ordained 
such  a  law  it  is  reasonable  that  we  should  know  it.  The  min- 
isters say  they  know  it.  Why  not  let  the  people  see  the  law 
that  they  may  know  it  also  ?  Why  keep  them  in  the  dark — 
if  such  a  law  exists  bring  it  forward.  You  cannot  say  that  it 
is  a  law  of  not  much  importance ;  for  surely,  if  God  has 
passed  a  law  repealing  the  gift  of  revelation,  the  gift  of 
prophecy,  the  gift  of  visions  and  dreams  by  the  spirit,  the 
ministry  of  angels  and  all  other  miraculous  gifts,  which  had 
been  enjoyed  by  every  people  of  God  among  all  nations,  and 
in  all  generations  for  four  thousand  years — if  He  has  swept 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF   MORMON.  155 

away  all  these  long-establislierl  and  most  glorious  privileges 
from  the  Church  by  a  repealed  law,  then  it  must  be  one  of  the 
most  important  laws  that  has  ever  been  communicated  to 
man ;  it  is  a  law  that  every  one  should  be  familiar  with ;  and 
none  should  be  prohibited  from  reading  or  perusing  it. 

21. — When  God  repealed  the  law  of  Moses  He  did  not 
keep  it  to  Himself,  but  He  told  the  people  plainly,  not  only 
of  the  repeal  act,  but  also  of  the  new  acts  which  were  intro- 
duced in  its  stead.  The  law  of  Moses  required  a  man  to  give 
a  writing  of  divorcement  if  he  wished  to  put  away  his  wife ; 
but  Jesus  repealed  that  law,  and  gave  a  new  one  in  its  stead. 
The  law  of  Moses  required  the  people  to  "perform  unto  the 
Lord  their  oaths;"  but  Jesus  repealed  this  law,  and  com- 
manded the  people  to  "swear  not  at  all."  The  law  of  Moses 
required  "an  eye  for  an  eye,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth  ;"  but  Jesus 
repealed  this  law  also,  and  commanded  the  people  "not  to 
resist  evil."  Here,  then,  we  have  the  repeal  law,  abolishing 
that  of  Moses,  and  the  new  law  introduced  in  its  stead ;  both 
are  revealed  in  perfect  plainness:  there  is  no  dubiety  or  uncer- 
tainty as  to  what  is  repealed  or  as  to  what  takes  its  place.  If 
it  be  considered  necessary  to  reveal  to  mankind  that  certain 
privileges,  granted  by  the  law  of  Moses,  were  repealed  ;  how 
much  more  necessary  is  it,  that  mankind  should  know  of  the 
repeal  of  blessings  and  ])rivileges  far  greater  and  vastly 
superior  to  those  of  the  law  of  Moses!  Would  God  take 
such  particular  care  to  notify  man  of  the  repeal  of  Moses'  law, 
and  yet  leave  him  in  entire  ignorance  with  regard  to  the 
repeal  of  the  gift  of  revelation,  visions,  prophecy,  etc.  ?  The 
law  of  Moses  "was  added  because  of  transgression,"  and 
given  "because  of  the  hardness  of  their  hearts;"  Paul  calls  it 
a  "law  of  carnal  commandments ;"  therefore  mankind  could, 
with  propriety,  look  for  its  repeal.  But  no  one  for  a  moment 
could  have  supposed  that  the  Lord  would  repeal  and  do  away 
such  great  and  glorious  gifts  as  ministers  now  declare  to  be 
unnecessary.  But  what  seems  still  more  strange,  is,  that  He 
should  repeal  privileges  granted,  not  only  in  the  Mosaic  dis- 
pensation, and  in  the  ages  preceding  it,  but  also  in  the  gospel 
dispensation,  even  down  to  the  close  of  the  first  century,  and 
yet  give  us  no  information  of  such  repeal. 


156  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

22.— But  the  ministers  of  apostate  Christendom  assert 
that  Grod  has  repealed  those  precious  gifts,  and  we  now  call 
upon  them  to  tell  us  how  they  know  it.  Has  God  revealed 
it  to  them  ?  No,  say  they  ;  God  reveals  nothing  in  this  age. 
Did  you  learn  it  from  ancient  revelation?  If  so,  we  call  upon 
you  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  as  you  value  your  own  soul's 
salvation,  and  that  of  others,  to  show  us  the  revelation,  that 
we  may  know  it  also.  If  you  do  not  do  this,  it  will  be  con- 
sidered that  you  do  not  know  any  such  thing,  but  that  you 
have  come  to  the  people,  like  the  prophets  of  Ahab,  with  a 
lie  in  your  mouths  to  deceive,  devour  and  destroy.  0  ye 
ministers  of  modern  Christendom — ye  enemies  of  new  revela- 
tion !  how  can  ye  escape  the  damnation  of  hell !  How  many 
millions  of  good,  honest-hearted  people  you  have  deceived  by 
your  cunning  crafiiness,  and  lying  hypocraises  !  How  many 
millions  would  have  called  upon  God,  in  faith,  for  revelations, 
prophecies,  visions  and  the  ministry  of  angels,  and  received 
these  precious  blessings,  had  it  not  been  for  the  wicked,  most 
abominable  and  soul-destroying  lies,  which  you  have  instilled 
into  their  ears  by  telling  them  that  these  things  were  repealed 
and  done  away !  Kepent,  therefore,  of  this  great  wickedness, 
and  be  baptized  for  the  remission  of  your  sins,  and  you  shall 
receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  shall  give  you  visions  and 
revelations,  and  shall  show  you  things  to  come  ;  and  except 
you  do  this,  the  wrath  and  indignation  of  that  Being  against 
whom  you  have  lied,  shall  speedily  overtake  you,  and  you 
shall  perish  out  of  the  earth.  Bepent,  therefobe,  quickly, 
THAT  YOU  MAY  FIND  MerCY. 


OP  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  157 


I 


CHAPTER    II. 

MORE   REVELATION  IS  INDISPENSABLY  NECESSARY. 

1. — In  the  former  chapter  it  has  been  shown,  that  to  expect 
more  revelation  is  neither  unscriptural  nor  unreasonable ;  hence, 
there  is  as  great  a  probability  that  more  will  be  given  in  our 
day,  as  in  any  former  age.  The  object  of  this  chapter  is  to 
show  that  more  revelation  is  indispensably  necessary. 

First,  for  the  calling  op  oeficers  in  the  church. 

2. — Whenever  God  has  called  and  authorized  men  to  perform 
a  work  in  any  age  or  dispensation,  it  has  been  done  by  reve- 
lations, and  not  by  mere  impressions,  or  some  undefinable, 
internal  feelings,  which  leave  the  mind  in  uncertainty  and 
doubt.  Noah  was  called  by  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  be  a 
preacher  of  righteousness,  and  to  build  an  ark.  Abraham) 
Lot,  Isaac,  Jacob  and  Joseph,  were  called  by  revelation  to  per- 
form a  great  variety  of  duties.  Moses  and  Aaron  were  called 
to  the  priest's  office  by  the  word  of  the  great  Jehovah.  Seventy 
elders  of  Israel  were  called  by  revelation  to  assist  Moses. 
Joshua  was  appointed  by  the  word  of  the  Lord  through  Moses 
to  be  his  successor  in  leading  Israel.  The  successors  of  Aaron 
were  appointed  to  the  priesthood  by  revelation.  The  Judges 
of  Israel  were  called  by  visions,  by  angels  and  by  the  inspira- 
tion of  the  Spirit.  Samuel  was  called  by  the  voice  of  the 
Lord.  And  finally,  all  their  officers,  wise  men  and  prophets, 
down  to  the  days  of  Malachi,  were  called  by  new  revela- 
tion. 

3. — The  calling  of  officers  under  the  Christian  dispensation 
continued  the  same.  John,  the  forerunner  of  Christ,  was 
called  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  as  manifested  through  the 
angel  Gabriel  and  his  father  Zacharias.  Jesus  was  called  by 
His  Father,  and  appointed  a  priest  forever  after  the  order  of 
Melchisedec:  He  is  termed  by  St.  Paul,   "the  Apostle  and 


158  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

High  Priest  of  our  profession."  Jesus,  being  an  Apostle, 
called  others  to  the  same  office,  and  said  unto  them,  "ye  have 
not  chosen  Me  but  I  have  chosen  you,  and  ordained  you,  that 
ye  should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit"  {John  xv.)  When  Judas 
fell  through  transgression,  the  apostles  did  not  appoint  another 
to  take  his  bishopric  through  a  mere  impression,  but  they 
called  upon  the  Lord  to  show  whom  He  had  chosen ;  and  "the 
lot  fell  upon  Matthias"  (J.c^s  I.  J  5-26).  The  seventy  disciples 
were  called  by  the  word  of  the  Lord.  Paul  and  Barnabas  were 
both  Apostles  [see  Acts  xiv.  14),  and  were  set  apart  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry  by  new  revelation  through  the  inspired 
prophets  and  teachers,  which  were  in  the  church  at  Antioch 
[Acts  xiii.  1-4. )  That  the  elders  of  the  church  at  Ephesus 
were  called  by  revelation,  is  evident  by  the  following  language 
of  Paul  to  them,  "Take  heed  therefore  unto  yourselves,  and  to 
all  the  flock  over  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  over- 
seers^ to  feed  the  Church  of  Grod  which  He  hath  purchased 
with  His  own  blood"  [Actsxx.  28).  Timothy,  the  first  bishop  of 
Ephesus,  was  appointed  by  prophecy  and  by  the  laying  on  of 
hands  [L  Tim.  w.  14.)  Titus,  the  first  bishop  of  the  Cretians, 
was  appointed  by  the  Apostle  Paul  "to  ordain  elders  in  every 
city ; "  these  elders  were  to  be  ordained  after  the  manner,  and 
in  the  way  that  Paul  had  appointed  Titus  [Titus  i  5.)  And 
we  have  already  seen  that  a  spirit  of  prophecy  was  necessary 
to  ordain  a  bishop ;  and  as  Bishop  Titus  was  to  ordain  elders  in 
every  city  after  the  pattern  he  himself  had  been  ordained,  he 
must,  to  have  carried  out  his  instructions,  have  enjoyed  the 
spirit  of  prophecy.  If  the  elders  of  Ephesus  were  made  over- 
seers of  the  Church  by  the  revelation  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  it  is 
reasonable  to  infer,  that  revelation  was  necessary  to  the  appoint- 
ment of  elders  in  all  other  cities.  Paul  says,  "As  God  hath 
distributed  to  every  man,  as  the  Lord  hath  called  every  one, 
so  let  him  walk,  and  so  ordain  I  in  all  churches"  [I.  Cor.  vii 
17. )  Paul  did  not  presume  to  ordain  in  all  churches,  only  such 
as  were  called  of  the  Lord,  and  he  ordained  them  according  to 
that  calling ;  and  such  callings  could  only  be  made  known  by 
revelation. 

4. — When  mankind  through  their  apostasy  lost  the  spirit  of 
prophecy  and  revelation,  they  also  lost  the  other  supernatural 


OP  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  159 

gifts  of  the  Spirit,  such  as  healing,  miracles,  tongues,  interpre- 
tations of  tongues,  etc.  These  gifts  ceased,  not  all  at  once,  but 
by  degrees,  until  the  spirit  had  entirely  withdrawn,  leaving  only 
a  powerless  form.  The  necessity  of  revelations,  visions,  pro- 
phesyings,  ministry  of  angels  and  miraculous  gifts,  was  never 
denied  until  mankind  found  themselves  destitute  of  these  pro- 
mised blessings ;  when  it  was  pretended  that  they  were  only 
designed  for  the  first  Christians ;  the  people  began  by  degrees 
to  believe  this  wicked  pretension,  until,  at  length,  they  boldly 
denied  the  necessity  of  every  miraculous  power.  Millions  in 
every  succeeding  generation  have  continued  to  walk  in  the  foot- 
steps of  the  early  apostates,  fulfilling  in  every  respect  the  pre- 
diction of  Paul,  that  "in  the  last  days  perilous  times  should 
come ;  for  men  should  be  lovers  of  their  own  selves,  covetous, 
etc."  "having  a  form  of  godliness  but  denying  the  power 
thereof"  (//.  Tim.iii.  1-5.)  Notwithstanding  the  universality 
of  this  apostasy,  yet  the  numerous  religious  bodies  which  enter 
into  its  composition,  have  had  the  daring  presumption  to  still 
call  themselves  Christians,  or  the  church  of  Christ.  But  if 
they  were  the  church  of  Christ,  then  the  miraculous  powers 
and  gifts  of  Christ  would  be  shown  forth  among  them,  and 
their  ministers,  as  formerly,  would  be  called  by  revelation.  The 
Church  of  Christ  cannot  exist  on  the  earth  without  an  author- 
ized ministry.  This  ministry  cannot  be  called  and  authorized 
without  new  revelation.  "No  man  taketh  this  honor  unto  him- 
self," (that  is  the  honor  of  the  ministry},  but  he  that  is  called 
of  God  as  was  Aaron"  [Heh.  v.  4). 

5. — Without  new  revelation  every  office  in  the  Church  would 
necessarily  become  vacant.  It  is  true,  that  those  who  held 
office  at  the  time  revelation  ceased,  would  still,  during  their 
natural  life,  continue  to  retain  it,  unless  through  transgression 
they  should  be  legally  deprived  of  it.  If  revelation  ceased  at 
the  close  of  the  first  century,  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  any  of 
the  officers,  then  holding  the  authority,  would  be  alive  a  cen- 
tury afterwards ;  and  as  they  would  have  no  authority  to  ordain 
others  without  new  revelation,  when  they  died,  the  author- 
ity upon  the  earth  would  necessarily  become  extinct.  How 
overwhelming  the  thought !  Yet  there  is  no  conclusion  more 
^certain.    If  all  offices  became  vacant  there  could  be  no  addi- 


160  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

tions  to  the  church  by  baptism ;  for  it  would  be  a  great  sin  for 
private  members  to  assume  the -authority  to  baptize;  hence,  as 
soon  as  those  who  had  been  baptized  by  authority  were  dead,  the 
world  would  be  entirely  destitute  of  both  the  officers  and  private 
members  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  But  when  officers  and 
members  both  cease,  what  is  left?  nothing  at  all.  Hence, 
without  continued  revelation,  the  Church  could  no  more  con- 
tinue in  its  existence  on  the  earth,  than  a  body  could  live  with- 
out the  spirit.  Therefore,  if  revelation  ceased  with  the  Apos- 
tles, as  the  "Articles"  and  "Creeds"  of  men  declare,  every 
vestige  of  authority,  as  well  as  the  Church  itself,  must  have 
become  extinct  from  the  earth,  as  early  at  least  as  the  third 
century;  since  which  time  the  earth  has  been  cursed  with 
priestcraft  and  apostasy,  and  with  every  species  of  wicked- 
ness. 

6. — Since  the  Church  with  its  authority  and  power  has  been 
caught  away  from  the  earth,  the  great  "mother  of  harlots" 
with  all  her  descendants  has  blasphemously  assumed  the 
authority  of  administering  some  of  the  sacred  ordinances  of 
the  gospel.  They  have  blasphemed  the  name  of  the  Father, 
Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  by  using  it  without  authority  in  their 
ministrations.  They  have  dishonored  the  name  of  Christ,  by 
calling  their  powerless,  apostate,  filthy  and  most  abominable 
churches,  the  Church  of  Christ.  The  whole  Romish,  Grreek 
and  Protestant  ministry,  from  the  pope  down  through  every 
grade  of  office,  are  as  destitute  of  authority  from  God,  as  the 
devil  and  his  angels.  The  Almighty  abhors  all  their  wicked 
pretensions,  as  He  does  the  very  gates  of  hell. 

7. — The  great  apostasy  of  the  Christian  church  commenced 
in  the  first  century,  while  there  were  yet  inspired  apostles  and 
prophets  in  their  midst;  hence  Paul,  just  previous  to  his 
martyrdom,  enumerates  a  great  number  who  had  "made  ship- 
wreck of  their  faith,"  and  "turned  aside  unto  vain  jangling  ;  " 
teaching  "that  the  resurrection  was  already  past,"  giving  "heed 
to  fables  and  endless  genealogies,"  "doting  about  questions  and 
strifes  of  words,  whereof  came  envyings,  railings,  and  evil  surmis- 
ings,  perverse  disputings  of  men  of  corrupt  minds,  and  desti- 
tute of  the  truth,  supposing  that  gain  is  godliness."  This 
apostasy  had  become  so  general  that  Paul  declares  to  Timothy, 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  161 

"that  all  they  which  are  in  Asia  be  turned  away  from  me;  " 
and  again  he  says,  "At  my  first  answer,  no  man  stood  with  me, 
but  all  men  forsook  me;"  he  further  states,  that  "there  are 
many  unruly  and  vain  talkers  and  deceivers,"  "teaching things 
which  they  ought  not,  for  filthy  lucre's  sake."  These  apostates, 
no  doubt,  pretended  to  be  very  righteous ;  for,  says  the  apostle, 
"they  profess  that  they  know  Grod;  but  in  works  they  deny 
Him,  being  abominable  and  disobedient,  and  unto  every  good 
work  reprobate."  Near  the  close  of  the  first  century,  the 
apostasy  had  become  so  universal  that  only  seven  churches 
throughout  all  Asia,  Africa,  and  Europe,  were  considered 
worthy  of  being  either  reproved  or  blessed  by  the  voice  of  reve- 
lation ;  and  even  these  seven  were  so  corrupted  by  the  doctrine 
of  the  Nicolaitanes,  and  of  Balaam,  by  the  fornications  and 
adulteries  of  Jezebel,  and  by  losing  their  "first  love,"  and 
becoming  "neither  cold  nor  hot,"  that  the  Almighty  considered 
them,  with  a  very  few  exceptions,  as  "dead,"  and  threatened 
to  "spue  them  out  of  His  mouth,"  to  cast  them  "into  great 
tribulation,"  and  "kill  their  children  with  death,"  to  "fight 
against  them  with  the  sword  of  His  mouth,"  and  to  "remove 
the  candlestick,"  or  church,  "out  of  its  place." 

8. — That  this  apostasy,  which  had  become  so  formidable, 
while  yet  inspired  apostles  were  in  their  midst,  was  to  greatly 
increase,  instead  of  decreasing,  is  evident  from  the  predictions 
of  scripture.  Paul  prophesies  that  "the  day  of  Christ  shall 
not  come,  except  there  come  a  falling  away  first;"  that  "evil 
men  and  seducers  shall  wax  worse  and  worse,  deceiving  and 
being  deceived. "  As  a  reason  for  the  strict  charge  which  he 
gave  to  Timothy,  he  predicts,  that  "the  time  will  come  when 
they  will  not  endure  sound  doctrine ;  but  after  their  own  lusts 
they  shall  heap  to  themselves  teachers^  having  itching  ears ;  and 
they  shall  turn  away  their  ears  from  the  truth,  and  shall  be 
turned  unto  fables."  The  predictions  concerning  the  apostasy 
were  not  expressed  in  a  vague  uncertain  form  of  language,  but 
in  the  clearest  and  most  forcible  terms.  "Now  the  Spirit 
speaketh  expressly,"  says  Paul,  "that  in  the  latter  times  some 
shall  depart  from  the  faith,  giving  heed  to  seducing  spirits  and 
doctrines  of  devils,  speaking  lies  in  hypocrisy,  having  their  con- 
science seared  with  a  hot  iron."    Peter  prophesies  that  "there 


162  DININE  AUTHENTICITT 

shall  be  false  teachers  among  you,  who  privily  shall  bring  in 
damnable  heresies,  even  denying  the  Lord  that  bought  them, 
and  bring  upon  themselves  swift  destruction ;  and  many  shall 
follow  their  pernicious  ways;  by  reason  of  whom  the  way  of  truth 
shall  be  evil  spoken  of ;  and  through  covetuousness  shall  they 
with  feigned  words  make  merchandise  of  you"  {II.  Peter  ii.  ], 
2,  3.)  These  "fables,''  "doctrines  of  devils,"  and  "damnable 
heresies' '  which  false  teachers  should  introduce  into  the  world, 
were  to  constitute  the  religion  of  future  ages,  rendering  the 
state  of  society  fearful  in  the  extreme.  Paul  gives  a  pro- 
phetic description  of  the  religion  of  latter  times,  as  follows : 
"This  know  also,  that  in  the  last  days  perilous  times  shall 
come ;  for  men  shall  be  lovers  of  their  own  selves,  covetous, 
boasters,  proud,  blasphemers,  disobedient  to  parents,  unthank- 
ful, unholy,  without  natural  affection,  truce  breakers,  false  accu- 
sers, incontinent,  fierce,  despisers  of  those  that  are  good, 
traitors,  heady,  high-minded,  lovers  of  pleasure  more  than 
lovers  of  God;  having  a  form  of  godUness,  hut  denying  the 
power  thereof  from  such  turn  away.  For  of  this  sort  are  they 
which  creep  into  houses,  and  lead  captive  silly  women  laden 
with  sins,  led  away  with  divers  lusts;  ever  learning,  and 
never  able  to  come  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth.  Now  as 
Jannes  and  Jambres  withstood  Moses,  so  do  these  also  resist 
the  truth :  men  of  corrupt  minds,  reprobate  concerning  the 
faith.  But  they  shall  proceed  no  further ;  for  their  folly  shall 
be  made  manifest  unto  all  men,  as  their's  also  was"  ( 77.  Tim. 
m.  1-9.), 

9. — It  seems  from  the  foregoing  predictions,  that  the  religion 
of  the  latter-days  was  to  be  most  awfully  corrupt ;  that  its 
teachers,  instead  of  being  sent  by  revelation  from  Grod,  were  to 
be  heaped  together  by  the  people.  These  man-made  teachers 
were  to  turn  away  the  ears  of  the  people  from  the  truth,  or 
from  sound  doctrine,  and  in  its  stead  were  to  teach  "fables," 
"doctrines  of  devils,"  "damnable  heresies,"  "speaking  lies  in 
hypocrisy;  "  they  were  to  come  "with  feigned  words,"  or, 
"with  great  swelling  words  of  vanity,"  to  "make  merchandise 
of  the  people;"  they  were  to  have  a  ^Yorm  of  godliness,"  but 
"the  power"  they  were  to  deny ;  they  were  to  meet  with  great 
success  in  deceiving  mankind ;  for  '  'ipany  were  to  foljow  theiy 


OF  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  163 

pernicious  ways."  The  people  were  to  delight  in  these  power- 
less, devilish,  hypocritical,  lying,  damnable  heresies,  while  the 
way  of  truth  was  to  be  evil  spoken  of;  and  "because  they 
received  not  the  love  of  the  truth,"  God  was  to  "send  them 
strong  delusions,  that  they  should  believe  a  lie,  that  they  all 
might  be  damned  who  believed  not  the  truth,  but  had  pleasure 
in  unrighteousness. ' '  Such  was  to  be  the  religion  of  the  latter 
ages,  as  prophetically  described  by  the  ancient  apostles ;  and 
such  is  the  religion  of  the  Papal,  Greek  and  Protestant 
churches  of  the  ninteenth  century.  The  predictions  were 
uttered  eighteen  centuries  ago,  and  modern  Christendom 
exhibits  a  most  perfect  fulfillment.  Instead  of  having  apos- 
tles, prophets,  and  other  inspired  men  in  the  church  now, 
receiving  visions,  dreams,  revelations,  ministry  of  angels  and 
prophesies  for  the  calling  of  officers,  and  for  the  government  of 
the  church — they  have  a  wicked,  corrupt,  uninspired  pope,  or 
uninspired  archbishops,  bishops,  clergymen,  etc.,  who  have  a 
great  variety  of  corrupt  forms  of  godliness,  but  utterly  deny 
the  gift  of  revelation,  and  every  other  miraculous  power  which 
always  characterized  Christ's  Church.  These  man-made, 
powerless,  hypocritical,  false  teachers,  "make  merchandise  of 
the  people."  by  preaching  for  large  salaries,  amounting  in  many 
instances  to  tens  of  thousands  of  dollars  annually.  They  and 
their  deluded  followers  are  reprobate  concerning  the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  Saints.  The  faith  which  once  quenched 
the  violence  of  fire,  stopped  the  mouths  of  lions,  divided 
waters,  and  controlled  the  powers  of  nature,  is  discarded  as 
unnecessary.  The  faith  that  inspired  men  with  the  gift  of  reve- 
lation— that  opened  the  heavens  and  laid  hold  on  mysteries  that 
were  not  lawful  to  be  uttered — that  unfolded  the  visions  of  the 
past  and  future — and  that  called  down  the  angels  of  heaven  to 
eat  and  drink  with  men  on  earth — is  denied  as  being  attainable 
in  this  age.  The  sound  doctrine  taught  by  the  apostles  which 
put  mankind  in  the  possession  of  these  glorious  gifts  and 
powers  cannot  now  be  endured.  The  doctrines,  commands, 
fables,  traditions  and  creeds,  of  uninspired  men,  are  now  sub- 
stituted in  the  place  of  direct  inspiration  from  God.  "They 
are  ever  learning,  but  are  never  able  to  come  to  a  knowledge  of 
the  truth."    Guesswork,  conjecture,  opinion,  and,  perhaps, 


164  DIVINE  AXJ-THENTICITY 

in  some  instances,  a  belief  in  regard  to  the  truth,  are  all  that 
they  attain  to,  while  a  knowledge  they  do  not  obtain,  because 
they  deny  new  revelation  the  only  means  of  obtaining  it.  This 
great  multitude  of  false  teachers  who  have  found  their  way  into 
all  nations,  deceiving  millions,  "resist  the  truth,"  contend 
against  the  miraculous  powers  of  the  gospel,  and  reject  inspired 
men,  as  "Jannes  and  Jambres,"  the  magicians,  did  Moses; 
but  "their  folly  shall  be  made  manifest  unto  all  men,  as  theirs 
also  was;"  yea,  all  nations  shall  see  the  righteous  judgments 
which  shall  speedily  be  poured  out  upon  them,  for  they  shall, 
like  Pharaoh's  host,  perish  quickly  from  the  earth. 

10. — If  the  revelations  contained  in  the  sixty-six  books  of 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  are  the  only  ones  to  be  received, 
it  would  be  impossible  for  any  man  since  the  apostasy,  to  prove 
from  those  books  that  he  was  called  of  God.  The  Bible  con- 
tains the  record  of  the  callings  and  commissions  of  many  who 
lived  during  the  first  four  thousand  years ;  but  it  says  not  one 
word  about  the  callings  and  commissions  of  those  who  have 
lived  during  the  last  seventeen  centuries.  Some  who  have  seen 
the  dilemma  in  which  they  are  placed  by  rejecting  new  revela- 
tion, have  endeavoured  to  extricate  themselves  from  it,  by  pre- 
tending that  the  old  commissions  given  to  the  apostles  are  suf- 
ficient for  all  present  purposes.  But  this  places  them  in 
another  dilemma  equally  as  great;  for  how  can  any  man  learn 
whether  the  commission  given  to  the  apostles  is  applicable  to 
himself  or  not?  Without  new  revelation  he  could  never  know. 
Surely  the  apostolic  commission  does  not  authorize  a/Z  mankind 
who  should  live  in  future  ages ;  and  if  it  authorizes  a  part  only, 
then  it  certainly  would  require  new  revelation  to  specify  which 
part.  Therefore,  if  we  were  to  admit  so  absurd  an  idea,  there 
still  would  be  an  equal  necessity  for  new  revelation.  But  com- 
missions or  callings  given  to  one  man  never  did,  nor  never  can, 
authorize  another.  Mankind  have  no  more  authority  to  preach, 
baptize,  and  administer  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel,  by  virtue 
of  the  apostolic  commission,  than  they  have  to  ascend  the 
throne  of  Grreat  Britain  by  virtue  of  the  commission  given  to 
King  David. 

11. — As  the  church  of  England  and  other  Protestants  do  not 
profess  to  have  received  any  new  commission  by  revelation,  but 


Of  THE  book:  of  mormon.  165 

on  the  contrary,  require  their  followers  to  reject  everything  of 
the  kind,  it  may  be  asked,  how  did  they  get  their  authority? 
It  will  be  replied,  that  they  received  it  from  Wickliffe,  Cran- 
mer,  Luther,  Calvin,  and  various  other  dissenters  from  the 
Papal  church.  But  where  did  those  dissenters  get  theirs  from? 
They  answer  from  the  Roman  Catholics.  But  the  Catholics 
excommunicated  them  as  heretics ;  and  surely  if  they  had  power 
to  impart  authority,  they  had  power  to  take  it  away.  There- 
fore, if  the  Romish  church  had  any  authority,  the  Protestants, 
being  excommunicated,  can  hold  none  from  that  source.  But 
if  the  Catholics  hold  authority,  they  must  be  the  true  church, 
and  consequently  the  Protestants  must  be  apostates ;  but  on 
the  other  hand,  if  the  Catholics  are  not  the  true  church,  they 
can  have  no  authority  themselves,  and  therefore  could  not 
impart  any  to  others. 

12. — Now  the  church  of  England  states  in  one  of  her  hom- 
ilies, "that  laity  and  clergy,  learned  and  unlearned,  men  and 
women,  and  children  of  all  ages,  sects  and  degrees,  of  whole 
CHRISTENDOM,  havc  been  at  once  buried  in  the  most  abom- 
inable IDOLATRY  (a  most  dreadful  thing  to  think),  and  that 
for  the  SPACE  of  eight  hundred  years  or  more!"* 
Wesley  in  his  94th  sermon  states  the  same  in  substance  ;  he 
says,  "The  real  cause  why  the  extraordinary  gifts  of  the  Holy 
G-host  were  no  longer  to  be  found  in  the  Christian  church, 
was,  because  the  Christians  were  turned  heathens  again^  and 
had  only  a  dead  form  lefty  If,  then,  the  "whole  of  Christen- 
dom," without  one  exception,  have  been  "buried  in  the  most 
abominable  idolatry  for  upwards  of  eight  hundred  years,"  as 
the  church  of  England  declares,  and  if  they,  because  they  are 
destitute  of  the  gifts,  are  not  even  now  Christians,  but  hea- 
thens as  Wesley  asserts,  we  ask  where  the  authority  was 
during  this  eight  hundred  years,  and  where  is  it  now  ?  Surely 
Grod  would  not  recognize  "the  most  abominable  idolaters,"  as 
holding  authority ;  if  so,  the  authority  of  the  worshipers  of 
Juggernaut  must  be  as  valid  as  that  of  idolatrous  Christen- 
dom. But  the  idolatry  of  "whole  Christendom"  must 
have  been  more  corrupt,  according  to  the  church  of  England, 


-Homily  on  the  Perils  of  Idolatry. 


166  DIVINE  AUTHteNTlCltY 

than  that  of  other  idolaters;  for  they  call  it  "the  most  abom- 
inable idolatry,"  and  most 'positively  declare  that  there  was 
no  exception  of  either  clergy  or  laity — of  either  man,  woman 
or  child — all  were  buried  in  it.  This  being  the  case  (and  we 
feel  no  disposition  to  dispute  it),  there  could  have  been  no 
possible  channel  on  the  whole  earth  through  which  authority 
could  have  been  transferred  from  the  apostles  to  our  day. 
Therefore,  as  Wesley  says,  all  Christendom  are,  sure  enough, 
"heathens,"  having  no  more  authority  nor  powers  than  the 
idolatrous  pagans.  If,  then,  the  "whole  of  Christendom" 
have  been  without  authority  and  power  "for  eight  hundred 
years  and  upwards,"  we  ask,  when  was  the  authority  restored? 
It  could  not  have  been  restored  to  the  Papal  churches,  for 
they  do  not  profess  that  any  such  restoration  has  been  made 
to  them ;  it  could  not  have  been  restored  to  the  church  of 
England  and  other  Protestants,  for  they  do  not  admit  of  any 
later  revelation  than  the  New  Testament ;  consequently  their 
own  admissions  prove  most  clearly  that  the  whole  of  Christen-, 
dom  are  without  an  authorized  ministry ;  therefore  it  is  indis- 
pensably necessary  that  more  revelation  should  be  given  to 
restore  the  authority  to  the  earth  and  call  men  to  the  ministry 
again,  as  in  ancient  days. 

13. — More  revelation  is  not  only  necessary  to  restore  an 
authorized  ministry,  that  the  church  may  again  have  place 
on  the  earth,  but  it  is  indispensably  necessary, 

SECONDLY,   TO  POINT  OUT  THE  DUTIES  OF  THE   OFFICERS   OF 
THE  CHURCH. 

To  call  men  to  the  ministry  would  be  of  very  little  use, 
unless  the  persons  called  could  have  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
duties  of  their  calling.  Noah  was  called  to  preach  repentance 
and  righteousness  to  the  antediluvians,  but  without  further . 
revelations,  he  never  could  have  learned  the  will  of  God  rela- 
tive to  the  preservation  of  himself  and  family,  and  the  diflfer- 
ent  kinds  of  beasts,  fowls  and  creeping  things,  both  clean  and 
unclean,  of  all  flesh;  he  never  could  have  learned  what 
amount  of  food  of  different  kinds,  and  fresh  water  would  be 
sufficient  to  sustain  such  a  congregated  host  of  living  beings  for 
the  space  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  days,  during  which  time  the 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF   MORMON.  167 

flood  was  to  prevail.  Jacob,  though  called  of  God,  without 
further  revelation,  never  could  have  learned  what  should 
befall  the  posterity  of  his  sons  in  the  last  days,  so  as  to  have 
delivered  a  prophetic  blessing  upon  the  head  of  each  accord- 
ing to  the  mind  of  Grod.  Moses,  though  called  by  the  voice 
of  Jehovah,  without  further  revelation,  never  could  have 
delivered  Israel  from  bondage,  and  led  them  forty  years  in  the 
wilderness.  Aaron,  though  called  of  Grod  to  the  priestly 
office,  and  in  possession  of  the  written  law,  never  could  have 
sat  upon  the  judgment-seat,  and  decided  between  man  and 
man,  according  to  the  mind  of  God,  without  the  "breastplate 
of  judgment,"  containing  the  "Urim  and  Thummim," 
through  which  he  could  enquire  of  God  and  receive  correct 
information  relative  to  evsry  case  which  should  come  before 
him.  All  the  servants  of  God,  down  to  the  days  of  Malachi, 
were  not  only  called  by  the  Almighty,  but  directed  in  all 
their  multifarious  duties  to  the  end  of  their  days  by  imme- 
diate revelation. 

14. — In  the  Christian  dispensation  it  was  the  same.  Every 
officer,  after  having  been  called,  was  instructed  and  guided  by 
continued  revelation  in  the  various  duties  of  his  calling.  John, 
the  forerunner  of  Christ,  was  first  called,  and  then  was  enabled 
through  the  inspiration  of  the  Spirit,  to  tell  the  Scribes,  Phar- 
isees, Sadducees,  soldiers  and  all  the  people,  what  they  should 
do,  as  they  came  enquiring  of  him.  Even  Jesus  Himself, 
though  He  was  sent  by  His  Father,  and  came  forth  from  God, 
did  not  presume  to  teach  of  Himself,  or  perform  anything  per- 
taining to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  without  first  obtaining  a 
revelation  from  the  Father  to  direct  Him.  He  says,  "I  have 
not  spoken  of  myself;  but  the  Father  which  sent  me,  He  gave 
me  a  commandment  what  I  should  say,  and  what  I  should 
speak."  "Whatsoever  I  speak  therefore,  even  as  the  Father 
said  unto  me,  so  I  speak"  [John  xii  49,  50).  Again,  He 
says,  "The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  I  speak  not  of  myself, 
but  the  Father  that  dwelleth  in  me,  He  doeth  the  work,"  "and 
as  the  Father  gave  me  commandment,  even  so  I  do"  {Jolm 
xiv.  10-31.).  He  further  states,  "I  can  of  my  own  self  do 
nothing:  as  I  hear  I  judge,  and  my  judgment  is  just,  because 
I  speak  not  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  the  Father  which 
7* 


168  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

hath  sent  me"  [John  v.  30.)  Now  if  the  great  and  glorious 
Redeemer  of  the  world  could  not  do  anj^thing  of  Himself  per- 
taining to  the  ministry,  but  was  dependent  altogether  upon  the 
Father  to  give  Him  revelation  and  commandment  what  to  do, 
and  what  to  speak,  how  much  more  necessary  it  is  for  poor, 
weak  and  fallible  man,  after  having  been  called  of  God,  to  be 
directed  in  all  things  pertaining  to  the  duties  of  his  calling  by 
continued  revelation.  And  yet,  strange  to  say,  the  whole  of 
Christendom  have  been  without  this  essential  qualification  for 
centuries,  and  have  still  dared  to  act  as  ministers  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord.  Oh,  the  wickedness  of  apostate  Christendom  ! 
Truly  did  the  apostle  behold  her  "full  of  names  of  blas- 
phemy," making  all  nations  drunk  with  her  wicked- 
ness! 

15. — The  example  that  Jesus  set,  not  to  act  nor  speak  in  the 
duties  of  His  calling,  unless  by  new  revelation,  was  followed  by 
the  apostles.  All  the  teachings  which  they  had  heard  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Savior  while  He  was  present  with  them, 
were  not  sufficient  to  qualify  them  for  their  duties  in  His 
absence.  As  soon  as  He  left  them.  He  began  to  give  them 
commandments  and  revelations  through  the  Holy  Ghost  [see 
Acts  I.  2. )  And  without  continued  revelations,  they,  like  their 
Lord  and  Master,  could  do  nothing.  It  mattered  not  how 
much  human  wisdom  or  learning  they  might  have  acquired, 
nor  how  many  revelations  had  previously  been  given ;  such 
things  would  in  no  wise  qualify  them  for  the  ministry;  it 
required  constant  revelation.  St.  Paul  says,  "The  things  of 
God  knoweth  no  man,  but  the  Spirit  of  God ;  now  we  have 
received  not  the  spirit  of  the  world,  but  the  Spirit  which  is  of 
God,  that  we  might  know  the  things  that  are  freely  given  to 
us  of  God  ;  which  things  also  we  speak,  not  in  the  words  which 
man's  wisdom  teacheth,  but  which  the  Holy  Ghost  teacheth" 
[L  Cor.  a.  11,  12,  13.)  From  these  passages  we  learn,  first, 
that  no  man  can  know  the  things  of  God  only  by  revelation, 
and  secondly,  that  no  man  can  teach  them  acceptably  only  in 
the  words  "which  the  Holy  Ghost  teacheth."  Revelation, 
then,  is  necessary  to  call  and  authorize  the  ministry,  to  reveal 
their  duties,  to  manifest  the  things  of  God  to  them  and  to 
give  them  utterance,  "not  in  the  words  which  man's  wisdom 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  169 

teacheth,"  but  in  the  words  inspired  and  taught  by  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

16. — If  human  wisdom  and  learning  could  qualify  any  one 
for  the  ministry,  Paul  certainly  could  have  claimed  a  higher 
qualification  than  the  rest  of  the  apostles;  he  was  learned;  he 
was  eloquent ;  he  was  eminently  prepared  so  far  as  the  wisdom 
of  man  was  available  to  move  in  the  higher  spheres  of  life, 
and  to  speak  with  honor  and  dignity  in  the  presence  of  vast 
assemblies;  he  could,  through  human  wisdom  alone,  have 
pathetically  portrayed  the  death  and  sufferings  of  Christ, 
reasoned  upon  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  the  atonement, 
urged  the  importance  of  obeying  the  requirements  of  the 
gospel,  and  with  all  the  thunders  of  his  eloquence  described 
the  misery  and  wretchedness  of  the  disobedient— yet  he 
informs  us,  that  he  did  not  declare  the  things  of  God  in  the 
"words  which  man's  wisdom  teacheth."  The  words  of  man's 
wisdom  are  foolishness  in  the  sight  of  God — they  are  inade- 
quate to  convey  properly  the  things  revealed  by  the  Spirit. 
The  Spirit  not  only  gives  the  ideas,  but  in  a  measure  clothes 
them  in  suitable  and  proper  words.  This  is  the  spirit  of 
revelation,  so  abundantly  enjoyed  by  the  Saints  in  all  ages, 
that  so  enriched  their  minds  with  heavenly  knowledge,  and 
qualified  them  to  speak  as  the  oracles  of  God,  uttering  words 
taught  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  This  is  the  spirit  of  revelation, 
rejected  and  done  away  in  the  "Articles"  and  "Creeds"  of 
modern  Christendom,  and  in  its  place  are  substituted  "the 
words  which  man's  wisdom  teacheth."  This  is  the  spirit  of 
revelation,  so  necessary  to  unfold  to  the  minister  of  Christ, 
those  duties  which  he  never  could  learn  from  ancient  revela- 
tion, nor  from  the  wisdom  and  writings  of  uninspired  men. 

17. — Without  this  spirit  of  revelation  Joshua  never  could 
have  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord  in  relation  to  taking  the 
city  of  Jericho ;  he  never  could  have  known  that  it  was  the 
will  of  God  that  all  Israel  should  march  around  its  walls  for 
seven  days,  blowing  upon  rams'  horns.  If  Israel  had  been 
left  to  their  own  wisdom,  it  never  would  have  entered  their 
heart  to  subdue  a  city  by  such  simple  expedients.  Indeed,  it  was 
only  necessary  on  that  one  occasion ;  and  that  one  occasion 
required  a  new  revelation  to  manifest  the  mind  and  will  of 


170  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITT 

God.  In  subduing  another  city  or  nation,  the  Lord  might 
have  altogether  a  diflFerent  plan,  so  that  the  rule  followed  in  one 
instance,  might  never  be  applicable  in  another ;  hence  the 
necessity  of  continued  revelation  ;  for  no  servant  of  Grod  or 
leader  in  Israel  could  possibly  learn  the  mind  of  Grod  without 
it.  "Grod's  ways  are  not  as  our  ways,  nor  His  thoughts  as  our 
thoughts."  Therefore,  the  wisdom  of  man,,  unaided  by 
immediate  revelation,  cannot  perform  acceptably  before  Grod 
any  work,  either  in  directing  the  movements  of  an  army,  or 
in  preaching  the  gospel  of  peace,  or  in  ruling  his  own  house- 
hold, or  in  managing  the  affairs  of  a  nation.  When  Israel 
went  to  battle,  they  first  enquired  of  God,  and  then  proceeded 
according  to  His  direction  ;  when  they  anointed  kings  to  sit 
upon  the  throne,  they  did  it  by  revelati  on  ;  when  a  city  was 
to  be  warned  of  approaching  judgment,  a  Lot,  or  a  Jonah,  or 
some  inspired  man  was  sent  by  revelation  to  do  it:  when 
Israel  turned  aside  from  the  law  of  God,  multitudes  of  prophets 
were  not  only  sent  by  revelation  to  reprove  them,  but  the  mes- 
sage which  they  were  to  deliver,  was  given  by  revelation  also : 
when  the  Lord  saw  that  Philip  had  warned  the  people  of 
Samaria  sujfficiently,  He  did  not  leave  him  to  the  vague  con- 
jectures of  his  own  mind  where  he  should  go  next,  but  sent 
an  angel  who  spake  to  him,  saying,  "Arise,  and  go  towards 
the  south  unto  the  way  that  goeth  down  from  Jerusalem  unto 
Gaza,  which  is  desert. "  [Acts  viii.  26.)  If  Philip  had  been 
left  to  his  own  wisdom,  he  never  could  have  learned  whether 
his  mission  was  done  in  Samaria  or  not ;  and  even  if  he  had 
learned  this,  the  desert  country  off  to  the  south,  would  have 
been  the  last  place  that  human  wisdom  would  have  guided 
him.  But  after  Philip  had  reached  this  lonely  solitary  desert,  he 
still  needed  revelation  to  direct  him  in  regard  to  further  duties. 
The  next  thing  which  we  find  revealed  to  him  was  by  the  Spirit, 
which  said  unto  him, '  'Go  near,  and  join  thyself  to  this  chariot. ' ' 
He  obeyed,  and  succeeded  in  convincing  a  man  of  great 
authority — a  eunuch,  of  the  truths  of  the  gospel ;  and  after 
having  baptized  him,  "the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  caught  away 
Philip,  that  the  eunuch  saw  him  no  more." 

18. — In  Damascus,  there  was  another  servant  of  God,  called 
Ananias ;    he  was  not  a  Protestant  clergyman,  for  he  believed 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  171 

in  visions  and  revelations;  "and  to  him  said  tlie  Lord  in  a 
vision,  Ananias.  And  he  said,  Behold,  I  am  here.  Lord. 
And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  Arise,  and  go  into  the  street 
which  is  called  Straight,  and  enquire  in  the  house  of  Judas 
for  one  called  Saul,  of  Tarsus:  for,  behold,  he  prayeth,  and 
hath  seen  in  a  vision  a  man  named  Ananias  coming  in,  and 
putting  his  hand  on  him,  that  he  might  receive  his  sight. 
{Acts  IX.  10,  11,  12.)  Here  are  two  visionary  characters, 
Ananias  and  Saul ;  if  they  had  lived  in  our  day,  they  would 
have  been  considered,  by  new  revelation  deniers,  as  appropri- 
ate subjects  for  the  insane  hospital.  It  is  so  natural  for  man- 
kind to  think  that  their  own  judgment  is  sufficient  to  guide 
them  in  the  way  of  duty,  that  even  Ananias  himself  was 
rather  inclined  to  question  the  propriety  of  revelation,  and 
follow  his  own  wisdom;  for  he  answered  "Lord,  I  have  heard 
by  many  of  this  man,  how  much  evil  he  hath  done  to  thy 
saints  at  Jerusalem ;  and  here  he  hath  authority  from  the 
chief  priests  to  bind  all  that  call  upon  Thy  name."  ( Verses 
13,  14.)  But  the  Lord  not  feeling  disposed  to  be  governed 
by  the  weak  judgment  of  Ananias,  commanded  him  again, 
saying,  "Gro  thy  way  ;  for  he  is  a  chosen  vessel  unto  me,  to 
bear  my  name  before  the  Gentiles,  and  kings,  and  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel:  for  I  will  show  him  how  great  things  he  must 
suifer  for  my  name's  sake."  (  Verses  15,  16.) 

19. — Peter  was  another  of  these  visionary  characters  so 
much  despised  by  modern  religionists.  One  of  the  first 
revelations  he  obtained,  was  about  Jesus  being  the  Christ. 
It  seems  that  there  was  a  great  diversity  of  opinions  among 
those  who  did  not  seek  for  new  revelation,  relative  to  whom 
Jesus  was;  some  thought  he  was  one  of  the  old  prophets ; 
some  thought  he  was  John  the  Baptist,  having  risen  from 
the  dead ;  the  wisdom  of  man  had  imagined  a  variety  of 
opinions  respecting  Him.  Peter,  not  being  satisfied  with  the 
conjectures  of  men  about  it,  was  just  simple  enough  to  ask 
the  Father  whom  Jesus  was.  The  Father  told  him,  that 
Jesus  was  "the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."  Here 
then  was  certainty — conjecture  and  opinion  had  fled  away. 
When  the  Savior  enquired  of  His  disciples  what  their  views 
were  in  relation  to  Him,  Peter  could  answer  the  question 


172  DIVINE  AUTHENTICirr 

without  any  doubt  or  hesitation  ;  and  because  of  this  knowl- 
edge Jesus  blessed  him,  and  said  unto  him,  "flesh  and  blood 
hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven."       [Matt.  xvi.  17.)      The  great  mass  of  the  Jews 
were  destitute  of  this  knowledge ;    they  did  not  seek  of  the 
Father  a  revelation  on  the  subject,  but  depended,  like  this 
generation,  on  former  revelation  and  their  own  wisdom,  and 
therefore    not  knowing  by  new  revelation  the  Savior,  they 
crucified  Him.       Peter,  having  had  faith  sufficient  to  get  one 
revelation,  the  Savior,  counted  him  worthy  to  receive  more, 
therefore  He  took  him  up  into  a  mountain  with  James  and 
John,  "and  was  transfigured  before  them;  and  His  face  did 
shine  as  the  sun,  and  His  raiment  was  white  as  the  light;  and 
behold  there  appeared  unto  them  Moses  and  Elias  talking 
with  Him."       [Matt.  xvii.  1,  2,  3.)      These  visionary  per- 
sons could  now  testify  to  the  nations  what  they  had  seen,  and 
heard  and  known  about  Jesus,  about  God  and  about  angels. 
But  such  testimonies  to  be  given  by  any  persons  in  these  days, 
would  be  counted  the  highest  blasphemy.     But  we  ask,  what 
do  modern  Christendom  know  about  God?   they  have  not 
heard  His  voice,  nor  received  a  revelation  from  Him.      What 
do  they  know  about  Jesus  ?    nothing,  only  what  they  have 
read  of  the  knowledge  of  others.     What  do  they  know  about 
angels?   they  have  never  beheld  them,  nor  heard  their  voice. 
What  do  they  know  about  visions?  nothing  at  all,  for  they 
despise  all  those  that  profess  to  have  seen  visions  since  the 
apostles'  days.       And  finally,  what  do  they  know  about  the 
Holy  Ghost  ?      It  has  never  spoken  to  them  nor  to  any  one 
else,  in  their  estimation,  for  the    last    seventeen  centuries. 
They  have  not  heard,  seen,  handled  nor  known  anything  for 
themselves   by  revelation ;    consequently,  they    are  entirely 
unqualified  to  be  witnesses  of  any  spiritual  or  heavenly  knowl- 
edge :  they  know  nothing,  only  what  they  know  naturally  "as 
brute  beasts,  made  to  be  taken  and  destroyed."       [SeeJude 
10.)      Without  new  revelation,  they  are  entirely  unqualified 
to  judge  of  the  things  of  God  :  they  would  be  as  apt  to  call 
good  evil  and  evil  good,  and  put  light  for  darkness  and  dark- 
ness for  light,   as   ancient  revelation  deniers  were.      Their 
preaching  would  not  justify  nor  condemn  any  one,  because 


I 


OP^THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  173 

they  know  nothiDg,  only  what  others  have  written,  and  there- 
fore cannot  testify.  This  is  the  sad,  and  awful,  and  most 
wretched  condition  of  modern  Christendom. 

20.— Peter  had  another  vision  while  he  was  praying  upon 
a  house  top :  he  saw  heaven  opened,  and  all  manner  of 
beasts  let  down,  and  drawn  up  thrice ;  and  "While  Peter 
thought  on  the  vision,  the  spirit  said  unto  him,  Behold  three 
men  seek  thee.  Arise,  therefore,  and  get  thee  down,  and  go 
with  them,  doubting  nothing :  for  I  have  sent  them."  [Ads 
X.  19,  20.)  Peter,  through  this  vision,  and  the  sayings  of 
the  spirit,  learned  duties  pertaining  to  his  calling  that  never 
could  have  been  learned  naturally.  Peter  had  had  a  vast 
amount  of  knowledge  previously  revealed  to  him,  but  that 
would  not  manifest  to  him  his  present  duties.  Present  duties 
require  present  revelation  ;  and  without  it,  no  servant  of  God 
ever  did,  or  ever  can  do  the  work  of  God.  Without  it,  he 
does  not  know  where  to  go,  or  what  to  preach.  But  says  the 
objector,  it  does  not  matter  where  he  preaches,  for  he  cannot 
go  amiss  ;  all  must  have  the  privilege  of  hearing.  We  reply, 
that  though  all  must  hear,  yet  the  Lord  designed  some  to 
hear  before  others,  as  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  Paul  and 
Timothy  "were  forbidden  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  preach  the 
word  in  Asia;"  and  again,  "after  they  were  come  to  Mysia, 
they  assayed  to  go  into  Bithynia ;  but  the  Spirit  suffered 
them  not."  {Acts  xvi  6,  7.)  Hence  we  learn,  that  the 
Lord  has  a  choice  where  His  servants  shall  go ;  and  that  in 
some  places  where  their  own  judgment  would  dictate  them 
to  go,  the  Lord  desires  they  should  not  go,  and  actually  for- 
bids them  to  go.  Now,  how,  without  new  revelation, 
is  the  servant  of  God  to  know  the  mind  of  the  Lord 
as  to  where  he  shall  or  shall  not  go  ?  Would  any  former 
revelation  communicate  the  desired  intelligence  unto  him? 
Certainly  not;  former  revelation  contains  the  history  of 
the  revealed  will  of  God  to  others,  but  it  does  not  specify 
in  all  things  the  revealed  will  of  God  to  us.  To  read  of 
others  learning  the  will  of  God  in  relation  to  their  callings 
and  mission,  and  enjoying  manifestations  of  the  Spirit  by 
visions,  dreams,  angels,  etc.,  would  be  of  no  more  advantage 
to  us,  than  to  read  of  the  history  of  a  good  dinner  when  we 


174  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

were  hungiy.  It  is  the  present  enjoj'ment  of  blessings  which 
we  want,  and  not  merely  the  history  of  others'  blessings. 

21. — How  could  Paul  have  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord 
about  going  to  Macedonia  without  being  told?  Therefore,  "a 
vision  appeared  to  Paul  in  the  night:  There  stood  a  man  of 
Macedonia,  and  prayed  him,  saying,  Come  over  into  Macedo- 
nia and  help  us."  {Acts,  xvi  9.)  And  again,  how  did  Paul 
know  it  was  his  duty  to  tarry  in  Corinth  about  a  year  and  a 
half?  He  found  it  out  by  a  vision.  "Then  spake  the  Lord 
to  Paul  in  the  night  by  a  vision.  Be  not  afraid,  but  speak,  and 
hold  not  thy  peace:  For  I  am  with  thee,  and  no  man  shall  set 
on  thee,  to  hurt  thee:  for  I  have  much  people  in  this  city. ' ' 
[Acts,  xviii.  9,  10.)  How  did  Paul  learn  that  it  was  necessary 
for  him  to  depart  quickly  out  of  Jerusalem,  and  go  to  other 
nations?  He  learned  it  by  a  vision  in  the  temple.  He  says, 
"And  it  came  to  pass  that  when  I  was  come  again  to  Jerusa- 
lem, even  while  I  prayed  in  the  temple,  I  was  in  a  trance;  and 
saw  Him  saying  unto  me.  Make  haste,  and  get  thee  quickly 
out  of  Jerusalem;  for  they  will  not  receive  thy  testimony  con- 
cerning me."  [Acts,  xxii.  17,  18.)  And  when  Paul  reasoned 
with  the  Lord  upon  the  subject,  as  if  he  thought  that  from 
their  acquaintance  with  his  former  course  of  life,  they  would 
receive  his  testimony,  the  Lord  again  commanded  him,  saying, 
"Depart:  fori  will  send  thee  far  hence  unto  the  Grentiles." 
Thus  we  see  how  impossible  it  is  for  a  minister  of  the  gospel 
to  learn  what  to  do,  or  where  to  go,  or  what  to  say,  unless  he 
is  taught  by  new  revelation.  Without  this  heavenly  principle, 
his  own  judgment  would  constantly  lead  him  astray. 

22. — New  revelation  is  not  only  highly  necessary  to  call  men 
to  the  ministry,  and  afterwards  to  instruct  them  in  the  various 
duties  of  their  calling,  but  it  is  indispensably  necessary, 

Thirdly  to  comfort,  reprove  and  teach  the  churcii. 

Jesus,  before  his  ascension,  promised  the  Holy  Ghost  to  His 
disciples,  which  He  calls  "the  Comforter."  They  had  prev- 
iously been  comforted  by  the  words  of  Jesus :  He  had  unfolded 
to  them  His  parables;  He  had  instructed  them  for  three  years 
and  a  half;  He  had  given  them  a  vast  amount  of  information 
upon  a  great  variety  of  subjects;  and  now,  as  he  was  about  to 


01*  Tflte  :ftooK:  of  mormon.  17^ 

be  taken  from  them  in  person,  lie  promised  to  send  unto  them 
another  comforter.  He  says,  "If  ye  love  me,  keep  my  com- 
mandments ;  and  I  will  pray  the  Father,  and  He  shall  give 
you  another  Comforter,  that  he  may  abide  with  you  forever ; 
even  the  spirit  of  truth,  whom  the  world  cannot  receive, 
because  it  seeth  him  not,  neither  knoweth  him ;  but  ye  know 
him ;  for  he  dwelleth  with  you,  and  shall  be  in  you."  [John 
(tiv.  15,  16,  17.)  The  reason  why  the  Holy  Grhost  is  called 
the  Comforter  is,  because  of  the  office  which  he  was  to  per- 
form ;  he  was  to  comfort  the  disciples,  by  revealing  to  them 
still  further  knowledge  of  the  things  of  God.  The  mind  of 
man  is  too  weak  to  receive  at  once,  all  the  knowledge  which 
God  is  willing  that  he  should  know:  hence  Jesus  says,  "I 
have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot  bear 
them  now.  Howbeit,  when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth  is  come, 
he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth ;  for  he  shall  not  speak  of 
himself,  but  whatsoever  he  shall  hear,  that  shall  he  speak ; 
and  he  will  shew  you  things  to  come.  He  shall  glorify  me ; 
for  he  shall  receive  of  mine,  and  shall  shew  it  unto  you.  All 
things  that  the  Father  hath,  are  mine  ;  therefore,  said  I  that 
he  shall  take  of  mine,  and  shew  it  unto  you."  [John  xvi  12, 
13,  14,  15.)  Here  we  find  how  the  disciples,  after  Jesus 
ceased  speaking  unto  them  in  person,  were  to  be  continually 
guided  by  revelation.  Many  things  which  they  could  not 
then  bear  on  account  of  the  weakness  of  their  minds,  were 
afterwards  to  be  revealed  to  them  through  the  Comforter  :  he 
was  to  guide  them  into  all  truth.  But  even  the  Holy  Ghost 
was  not  to  teach  without  first  getting  a  revelation  as  to  what 
he  should  teach,  for,  says  Jesus,  "he  shall  not  speak  of  him- 
self, but  whatsoever  he  shall  hear,  that  shall  he  speak."  It 
is  strange,  indeed,  that  the  ministers  of  modern  Christendom 
dare  speak  of  themselves,  without  getting  any  new  revelation, 
when  even  Jesus  and  the  Holy  Ghost  would  neither  of  them 
presume  to  do  such  a  thing.  The  Comforter  was  to  be  the 
guide  of  the  disciples,  not  only  in  this  short  life,  but  forever. 
Again,  Jesus  says,  "the  Comforter,  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost, 
whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall  teach  you  all 
things  and  bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance,  whatsoever 
I  have  said  unto  you."      [John  xiv.  26.) 


176  DIVINE  AtJTHENTICirr 

23.— This  same  Comforter  which  was  to  be  a  constant 
revelator  to  the  disciples,  was  promised  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, to  all  who  would  obey  the  gospel.  After  he  had  descended 
upon  one  hundred  and  twenty,  on  the  morning  of  that  day, 
revealing  to  them,  not  only  other  tongues,  but  also  "the 
wonderful  works  of  God,  it  excited  tlie  attention  of  thousands, 
who,  after  learning  that  it  was  the  Holy  Ghost  that  operated 
so  powerfully,  felt  extremely  anxious  to  obtain  the  same  gift, 
and  they  were  told  the  conditions  on  which  they  all  might 
receive  it.  "Repent,"  says  Peter,  "and  be  baptized,  every 
one  of  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of 
your  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
[Acts  ii.  38. )  Thus,  we  perceive,  that  thousands  had  the 
promise  made  to  them  on  certain  conditions,  even  the  promise 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  "promise"  says  Peter,  "is  unto 
you,  and  to  your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even 
as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call."  (  Verse  39.)  Con- 
sequently, all  persons,  in  all  generations  and  ages,  who  will 
perform  these  requirements,  have  the  promise  of  the  Holy 
Ghost;  the  same  Holy  Spirit  that  Jesus  promised,  and  the 
same  that  was  given  on  the  day  of  Pentecost — all  could  receive 
the  spirit  of  revelation,  and  be  guided  into  all  truth.  To 
show  still  further  that  the  Holy  Ghost  was  to  be  a  revela- 
tor to  the  Church,  as  well  as  to  the  apostles,  we  will  quote 
the  words  of  John,  written  to  the  Church  generally:  "Ye 
have  an  unction  from  the  Holy  One,  and  ye  know  all  things." 
And  again,  "the  anointing  which  ye  have  received  of  him, 
abideth  in  you,  and  ye  need  not  that  any  man  teach  you :  but 
as  the  same  anointing  teacheth  you  of  all  things,  and  is  truth,  no 
lie,  and  even  as  it  hath  taught  you,  ye  shall  abide  in  him. "  (/. 
John  a.  20-27.)  Nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  the 
Church,  as  well  as  the  apostles,  were  to  receive  the  promised 
Comforter,  and  that  he  was  to  teach  all  things  to  the  Church, 
as  well  as  to  its  officers ;  therefore,  the  revelations  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  are  indispensably  necessary  to  comfort  and  teach  the 
Church. 

24. — When  certain  men  began  to  teach  heresy,  and  intro- 
duce false  doctrines  into  the  Church,  commanding  the  Gen- 
tiles to  be  circumcised,  the    Holy  Ghost  immediately  gave  a 


oi?  TriE  Book  OF  morMon.  177 

revelation  on  the  subject,  and  corrected  the  error ;  thus  pre- 
venting endless  controversies  and  strifes.  ( See  Acts  xv. )  If 
this  great  guide  and  revelator  of  the  Church  be  rejected  as 
unnecessary,  how  quickly  the  body  falls  to  ruin  !  New  revela- 
tion is  the  only  principle  which  will  preserve  the  unity  of  the 
Church.  The  wisdom  of  man,  taken  individually,  or  the 
wisdom  of  councils,  taken  collectively,  is  fallible,  unless 
directed  by  immediate  revelation,  and  therefore  liable  to  err  ; 
hence  all  doctrines,  or  principles,  or  matters  of  controversy 
which  are  not  clearly  revealed  in  ancient  revelation,  will  be 
continually  the  subjects  of  dispute  ;  and  if  any  man  or  coun- 
cil without  the  aid  of  immediate  revelation,  shall  undertake 
to  decide  upon  such  subjects  and  prescribe  "Articles  of 
Faith,"  or  "Creeds,"  to  govern  the  belief,  or  views  of  others, 
there  will  be  thousands  of  well-meaning  people  who  will  not 
have  confidence  in  the  productions  of  these  fallible  men,  and 
therefore,  will  frame  creeds  of  their  own,  which  they  suppose, 
are  more  consistent.  In  this  way,  contentions  arise,  divisions 
multiply,  sects  are  formed,  the  Church  becomes  rent  into  ten 
thousand  fragments,  and  the  whole  world  becomes  a  hahylon 
of  confusion.  As  an  effectual  preventative  against  all  false 
doctrine,  against  all  strifes  and  divisions,  against  all  conten- 
tions and  controversies  in  the  Church,  God  has  placed  within 
it  a  great  and  infallible  teacher  or  revelator,  called  the  Com- 
forter, who  cannot  err,  whose  decision  is  an  end  of  contro- 
versy, whose  counsel  is  perfect,  and  whose  judgment  upon  all 
points  of  doctrine  cannot  be  otherwise  than  correct.  Differ- 
ences of  opinion  cannot  exist  in  the  Church  for  any  length  of 
time  ;  for  the  Holy  Ghost  will  decide  all  matters  of  contro- 
versy, and  thus  preserve  the  unity  of  the  Church :  while  all 
who  rebel  against  his  decisions,  will  be  excommunicated  as 
heretics  or  apostates,  and  will  form  no  part  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  any  more  than  the  Chinese  form  a  part  of  the  Eng- 
lish government.  Hence,  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  there  is  a 
unity  of  faith — a  oneness  of  spirit,  such  as  characterizes  no 
other  people.  In  the  Church  of  Christ,  there  can  be  no  differ- 
ences of  opinion,  in  regard  to  baptism,  or  any  other  ordin- 
ance ;  for  the  Holy  Ghost  will  guide  into  all  truth,  and  teach 
the  Church  all  things  pertaining  to  doctrine  or  ordinances, 


178  DrVlNE  AUTHENTICITY 

things  present,  or  things  to  come.  The  great  variety  of 
opinions  which  have  torn  asunder  modern  Christendom,  and 
bewildered  the  minds  of  millions,  can  have  no  existence  in 
the  Church  of  Christ ;  for  there,  all  matters  of  importance 
are  decided  by  revelation,  and  not  by  creeds  invented  by 
human  wisdom ;  there,  the  deep  and  hidden  things  of  God 
are  revealed  by  the  Spirit  of  truth ;  there,  rich  treasures  of 
wisdom  and  knowledge  are  brought  to  light ;  there,  they  have 
no  need  of  uninspired  councils  to  invent '  'Articles  of  Religion' ' 
to  fetter  the  mind  of  man  ;  there,  the  Holy  Ghost  takes  the 
things  of  the  Father  and  shows  them  by  revelation  unto  the 
Church,  and  there,  infallibility  is  indelibly  and  unchangeably 
stamped  upon  every  doctrine,  principle,  ordinance  and  law  of 
the  Church.  With  such  a  revelator,  certainty  and  knowledge 
abound  in  every  heart;  parables,  mysteries  and  intricate  sub- 
jects are  unravelled ;  guess  work,  conjectures  and  opinions, 
flee  away.  With  such  a  guide,  there  is  no  danger  of  being 
deceived.  The  elect,  cannot  be  deceived ;  for  they  have  an 
infallible  detector  of  all  delusions,  however  cunningly  devised: 
they  have  a  test  by  which  they  can  try  all  things,  prove  all 
things,  judge  all  things  and  overcome  all  things  not  ordained 
of  God ;  they  can  soar  aloft  to  the  third  heavens  and  gaze 
upon  the  mansions  of  the  blessed,  where  the  highest  order  of 
intelligence  reigns  :  or  they  can  descend  in  the  visions  of  the 
spirit,  and  behold  the  kingdoms,  dominions,  principalities 
and  powers,  in  worlds  of  an  inferior  order,  in  the  great  scale 
of  universal  existence. 

25.— When  the  Church  falls  into  sin,  or  turns  aside  from 
her  duties,  new  revelation  is  necessary  to  reprove  and  chasten 
her,  that  she  may  repent  and  be  forgiven.  We  have  frequent 
examples  of  the  people  of  God  being  reproved  by  the  revela- 
tions of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Corinthians  were  severely 
reproved  by  the  Spirit  of  inspiration,  because  they  had  suf- 
fered contentions  and  divisions  to  get  in  among  them  and 
disturb  the  harmony  and  peace  of  the  Church.  Although 
the  divisions  which  existed  there  were  not  in  relation  to  doc- 
trine, but  only  in  relation  to  the  talents  or  abilities  of  Paul, 
Apollos  and  Cephas,  yet  even  for  this  they  were  called  carnal. 
[See  I.    Corinthians,  m.    1-7.)       If  the  Corinthians    were 


OF  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  179 

worthy  of  reproof  because  they  were  divided  in  relation  to 
the  talents  or  qualifications  of  the  ministers  of  Christ,  how 
much  more  worthy  of  censure  would  they  have  been  if  they 
had  been  divided  in  relation  to  doctrine,  like  modern  Christ- 
endom? All  divisions  in  the  Church,  of  every  kind,  are 
utterly  condemned  by  the  apostle,  and  he  pleads  with  them 
to  banish  all  such  things  from  their  midst,  and  cultivate  a 
perfect  unity  in  all  things.  He  says,  "Now  I  beseech  you, 
brethren,  by  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  ye  all 
speak  the  same  thing,  and  that  there  be  no  divisions  among 
you,  but  that  ye  be  perfectly  joined  together  in  the  same 
mind  and  in  the  same  judgment."  (/.  Corinthians,  i.  10.) 
Are  modern  religionists  "perfectly  joined  together  in  the  same 
mind  and  in  the  same  judgment?"  Do  they  all  "speak  the 
same  thing?"  No  ;  they  are  far  from  it:  they  declare  doc- 
trines diametrically  opposite  to  one  another;  yet  they  have 
the  presumption  to  acknowledge  each  other  as  Christians, 
enjoying  the  Holy  Spirit.  But  it  is  an  insult  to  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  say  that  two  churches,  who  are  divided  in  doctrine, 
both  enjoy  his  teachings.  Where  the  Holy  Spirit  is  he  guides 
into  all  truth ;  and  where  two  churches  believe  in  doctrines 
directly  opposite,  one,  if  not  both,  must  be  destitute  of  the 
Spirit.  The  Holy  Ghost  must  be  a  very  uncertain  guide,  if 
he  would  teach  one  church  to  sprinkle  infants,  teach  another 
to  immerse  none  but  adults,  give  the  privilege  to  another  to 
immerse,  pour  or  sprinkle  the  candidates  just  as  they  choose; 
tell  the  fourth  to  baptize  for  the  remission  of  sins  and  forbid 
a  fifth  to  baptize  any  until  they  gave  evidence  that  their  sins 
were  remitted  ;  and  teach  a  sixth  that  it  is  not  necessary  for 
them  to  be  baptized  at  all.  If  all  these  churches,  who  teach 
and  practice  doctrines  so  very  different,  are  in  possession  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  then  the  Holy  Spirit  must  be  divided  against 
himself,  and  must  come  to  nought.  But  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
the  Spirit  of  truth,  and  teaches  the  same  doctrine  in  all 
places ;  and  wherever  we  find  differences  of  opinion  in  doc. 
trine,  we  may  know  most  assuredly  that  the  Spirit-guide  is 
not  there;  at  least,  all  churches  must  be  destitute  of  the 
Spirit  but  one,  and  even  that  one  does  not  enjoy  it  unless  she 
receives  immediate  revelation  for  her  instruction  and  edifica- 
tioo. 


180  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITT 

26. — Some  have  supposed  these  divisions  to  be  unavoidable, 
being  the  necessary  results  of  the  fallible  judgments  oF  men. 
That  the  judgments  of  men  are  fallible,  and  that  division  is 
the  necessary  result  of  fallibility,  we  by  no  means  deny  ;  but 
to  say  that  they  are  unavoidable  throws  contempt  and  insult 
upon  the  Holy  Grhost  and  represents  him  as  unable  to  guide 
the  Church  into  all  truth.  While  division  is  the  result  of 
fallibility,  union  is  the  result  of  infallibility.  The  Savior 
prayed  for  the  most  perfect  union  to  be  in  His  Church.  He 
uses  the  following  language — "Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone, 
(meaning  the  apostles, )  but  for  them  also  which  shall  believe 
on  me  through  their  word,  (meaning  the  whole  Church,)  that 
they  all  may  be  one ;  as  thou.  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in 
thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us ;  that  the  world  may 
believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me.  And  the  glory  which  thou 
gavest  me  I  have  given  them  ;  that  they  may  be  one  even  as 
we  are  one  :  I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me,  that  they  may  be 
made  perfect  in  one,  and  that  the  world  may  know  that  thou 
hast  sent  me,  and  hast  loved  them,  as  thou  hast  loved  me." 
{John  xvii.  20,  21,  22,  23.)  The  oneness  here  prayed  for 
was  to  be  of  the  most  perfect  kind :  there  were  to  be  no  more 
jars — no  more  dliFerences  in  sentiment  than  there  is  between 
the  Father  and  the  Son.  Now  there  is  no  possible  way  to 
bring  about  this  perfect  oneness  and  union  in  a  church  com- 
posed of  imperfect  beings,  only  through  the  medium  of 
immediate  revelation.  This,  and  this  alone,  can  accomplish 
the  work,  and  perfect  the  Saints  in  knowledge,  wisdom  and 
power.  All  other  substitutions  will  be  found  totally  inade- 
quate to  the  task  ;  for  unless  truth  is  revealed  and  known, 
too,  after  it  is  revealed,  the  frail  judgments  of  men  will  clash 
together;  discordant  notes  will  be  sounded,  and  disunion  will 
make  its  appearance.  And  herein  is  the  religion  of  heaven 
distinguished  from  all  other  religions.  Continued  revelation 
always  was,  and  is  now,  its  motto,  and  Union^  perfect  Union, 
the  necessary  result ;  while  all  other  religions  are  destitute  of 
this  binding  uniting  principle  and  will  ere  long  vanish  away 
and  perish  with  all  who  follow  them. 

27. —Some   of   the    Corinthians  had  fallen    into   another 
heinous  sin,  namely,  that  of  formcation  in  its  most  aggravated 


OP  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  181 

form — "such  fornication,"  says  Paul,  "as  is  not  so  much  as 
named  among  the  Gentiles,  that  one  should  have  his  father's 
wife."  (/.  Cor.  v.  1.)  Without  further  revelation  the 
Church  would  have  been  ignorant  how  to  proceed  in  relation 
to  such  a  case.  Some  might  have  supposed  that  the  individ- 
ual committing  this  great  crime  could,  if  he  made  confession, 
be  forgiven,  and  be  retained  in  the  Church.  But  the  apostle, 
knowing  the  great  magnitude  of  the  crime,  decided  by  the 
spirit  of  inspiration  quite  otherwise ;  therefore  he  commanded 
them,  saying,  "In  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  when 
ye  are  gathered  together,  and  my  spirit,  with  the  power  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  deliver  such  an  one  unto  Satan  for 
the  destruction  of  the  flesh,  that  the  spirit  may  be  saved  in 
the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus."  {Verses  4,  5.)  Here,  then, 
we  perceive  the  penalty  to  be  inflicted  for  this  particular  trans- 
gression: first,  a  deliverance  unto  Satan;  second,  a  destruc- 
tion of  the  flesh ;  and  third,  no  salvation  for  the  spirit  until 
the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  The  wisdom  of  man  would  have 
been  entirely  at  a  loss  how  to  have  rendered  a  correct  judgment 
concerning  this  matter,  therefore  it  required  the  wisdom  of 
God  by  revelation.  The  Corinthians  themselves  seem  to  have 
been  ignorant  of  their  duty  on  this  subject ;  for  Paul  says  to 
them,  "Ye  are  puffed  up,  and  have  not  rather  mourned,  that 
he  that  hath  done  this  deed  might  be  taken  away  from  among 
you."  [Verse  2.)  Oh!  how  diff'erent  are  the  decisions  of 
the  Spirit  from  the  decisions  of  fallible  man! 

28. — It  was  necessary  that  the  Corinthians  should  be 
reproved  by  the  voice  of  inspiration  for  going  to  law  before 
unbelievers.  They  were  informed  that  both  men  and  angels 
were  to  be  judged  by  the  Saints  and  therefore  they  ought  to 
judge  among  themselves  the  smaller  matters  of  the  Church 
pertaining  to  this  life.  It  was  necessary  that  they  should  be 
reproved  for  partaking  of  the  Lord's  supper  unworthily,  some 
using  the  wine  to  excess  and  becoming  intoxicated,  "not  dis- 
cerning the  Lord's  body."  Sickness  and  death  prevailed 
among  many  of  that  church,  the  cause  of  which  was  revealed 
to  them  by  the  apostle ;  he  informs  them  that  they  had  not 
properly  examined  themselves  previous  to  receiving  this 
solemn  ordinance,  and  "for  this  cause,"   says  Paul,  "many 


182  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

are  weak  and  sickly  among  you  and  many  sleep."  (7.  Cor, 
XI. )  If  sickness  and  death  prevail  to  a  great  extent  among 
modern  religionists,  instead  of  getting  a  revelation  to  know 
the  cause,  they  fancy  up  a  great  variety  of  causes,  one  imagines 
one  thing  and  another  supposes  another,  and  the  imaginary 
causes  are  nearly  as  numerous  as  the  individuals.  Oh !  what 
a  blessing  it  would  be  to  modern  Christendom  had  they  an 
inspired  man  among  them  who,  like  Paul,  could  point  out  to 
them  the  very  causes  of  the  cholera  and  such  like  plagues 
with  which  they  are  so  frequently  visited!  Knowing  the 
cause,  they  could,  by  a  thorough  reformation,  have  the  judg- 
ment removed  from  them ;  but  so  long  as  they  are  ignorant  of 
the  cause,  and  depend  upon  their  own  conjectures  upon  it, 
they  will  not  be  likely  to  repent  acceptably  before  God  so  as  to 
have  these  judgments  removed. 

29. — The  seven  churches  of  Asia  were  reproved  by  revela- 
tion for  their  sins,  threatened  with  various  judgments  if  they 
did  not  repent,  and  promised  on  certain  conditions  great  and 
inestimable  blessings.  These  threatenings  and  promises  were 
not  the  same  to  all  churches,  but  each  had  its  peculiar  promises 
and  threatenings  according  to  its  works.  But  for  centuries 
past  the  Lord  has  not  had  a  church  on  the  whole*  earth  whom 
He  considered  worthy  of  being  reproved  by  revelation,  or  of 
receiving  any  promises.  None  knew  anything  about  God,  or 
heaven,  or  the  future  state,  only  what  others  have  told  them 
in  the  sacred  scriptures.  Eternal  life  does  not  abide  in  them  ; 
for,  says  Jesus,  "This  is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know 
Thee  the  only  true  God  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  Thou  hast 
sent."  [Johnxvii.  3.)  The  only  possible  way  to  know  God 
is  by  new  revelation ;  for  Jesus  says  again,  "No  man  knoweth 
the  Son,  but  the  Father;  neither  knoweth  any  man  the 
Father,  save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son  will 
REVEAL  Him."  [Matthew  xi.  21 .)  Here  is  the  most  positive 
testimony  that  no  man  can  know  God  without  he  obtains  a 
revelation,  and  that  no  one  can  have  eternal  life  without  such 
revealed  knowledge.  Think  of  these  sayings  of  our  Savior, 
all  you  enemies  of  new  revelation,  and  tremble  at  your  awful, 
benighted  and  sinful  condition.     Remember  that  the  only  way 


1 

I 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  183 

to  obtain  eternal  life  is  to  know  God,  and  the  only  way  to  know 
Him  is  by  New  Revelation. 
30. — Further  revelation  is  indispensably  necessary, 

Fourthly,  to  unfold  to  the  church  the  future. 

In  every  age  of  the  world  God  has  considered  a  knowledge  of 
the  future  of  the  utmost  importance  to  His  people.  To 
impart  this  knowledge  He  has  invariably  appointed  a  certain 
office  among  His  people,  called  the  prophetic  office.  Persons 
holding  this  office  were  filled  with  the  Holy  G-host  who  taught 
them,  not  only  of  doctrine  and  principles,  but  of  the  future. 
One  of  the  earliest  prophets,  of  whom  scripture  gives  an 
account,  was  Abel.  The  Savior  ranks  Abel  among  the 
prophets,  when  he  says  to  the  wicked  Jews,  that  the  blood  of 
all  the  prophets,  from  that  of  righteous  Abel  to  that  of  Zach- 
arias,  who  was  slain  between  the  porch  and  the  alter,  should 
be  required  of  that  generation.  Enoch,  the  seventh  from 
Adam,  predicted  things  which  have  not  yet  come  to  pass. 
( See  Jude  xiv. )  Noah  predicted  events  of  the  utmost  import- 
ance to  the  generation  in  which  he  lived.  All  the  patriarchs 
called  of  God,  from  Noah  to  Moses,  were  endowed  with  the 
spirit  of  prophecy.  Moses  was  peculiarly  blessed  with  a 
knowledge  of  future  events.  The  Lord  did  not  confine  the 
spirit  of  prophecy  to  Moses  alone,  but  poured  out  His  spirit 
upon  the  seventy  Elders  of  Israel,  and  they  all  prophesied. 
Eldad  and  Medad,  two  that  remained  in  the  camp,  prophesied 
as  well  as  those  who  were  assembled  together;  and  Joshua, 
hearing  of  this,  and  feeling  somewhat  contracted  in  his  views 
of  this  glorious  gift,  exclaimed,  "My  Lord  Moses,  forbid 
them.  And  Moses  said  unto  him,  enviest  thou  for  my  sake? 
would  God  that  all  the  Lord's  people  were  prophets,  and  that 
the  Lord  would  put  His  spirit  upon  them."  [Num.  xi.  28, 
29.)  We  have  no  account  of  the  predictions  uttered  by  these 
seventy  prophets  being  written,  and  therefore  it  is  not  likely  that 
they  could  be  of  any  benefit  to  after  generations:  but  it  is 
very  probable  that  the  things  predicted  were  intended  to 
benefit  more  particularly  that  generation  of  Israel.  Moses 
had  hitherto  the  whole  burden  upon  himself,  but  now  it  was 
divided  among  others,  and  in  order  to  be  qualified  to  take 


184  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITT 

part  in  the  teaching  and  leading  of  Israel,  it  was  necessary 
that  they  should  understand  future  events,  that  all  might  be 
prepared  to  act  in  relation  to  such  events :  and  thus,  by  fore- 
seeing things,  escape  thousands  of  difficulties.  All  prophets 
do  not  enjoy  an  equal  degree  or  measure  of  fore-knowledge, 
for  the  Lord  said  to  Israel,  "Hear  now  my  words :  If  there 
be  a  prophet  among  you,  I  the  Lord  will  make  myself  known 
unto  him  in  a  vision  and  will  speak  unto  him  in  a  dream.  My 
servant  Moses  is  not  so,  who  is  faithful  in  all  mine  house. 
With  him  will  I  speak  mouth  to  mouth,  even  apparently,  and 
not  in  dark  speeches  ;  and  the  similitude  of  the  Lord  shall  he 
behold."  [Num.  xii.  6,  7,  8.)  To  some  prophets  the  Lord 
speaks  in  visions,  dreams  and  dark  speeches ;  to  others,  He 
reveals  in  great  plainness.  Some  prophecies  are  written: 
others  only  uttered  verbally. 

31. — Great  companies  of  prophets  existed  among  Israel  at 
different  times.  When  Saul  after  his  first  interview  with 
Samuel  the  Seer,  met  one  of  these  companies,  "the  Spirit  of 
God  came  upon  him  and  he  prophesied  among  them."  (/ 
Sam.  X.  10.)  When  he  afterwards  sent  messengers  to  tak  e 
David  that  he  might  slay  him,  they  met  one  of  these  com- 
panies of  prophets  with  Samuel  over  them,  and  the  Spirit  of 
God  came  upon  the  messengers  and  they  prophesied  also : 
Saul  then  sent  a  second  company,  and  they  all  turned  proph- 
ets ;  and  he  sent  a  third  and  the  same  thing  happened  to 
them ;  and  despairing  of  success  by  his  messengers,  he  con- 
cluded to  go  himself,  and  while  on  his  way  "the  Spirit  of 
God  was  upon  him  also,  and  he  went  on  and  prophesied, 
until  he  came  to  Naioth  in  Ramah.  And  he  stripped  off"  his 
clothes  also  and  prophesied  before  Samuel  in  like  manner  and 
lay  down  naked  all  that  day  and  all  that  night.  Wherefore 
they  say,  is  Saul  also  among  the  prophets?"  (7.  Sam.  xix. 
20-24.)  In  the  days  of  Elijah  and  Elisha,  there  was  an 
abundance  of  prophets :  these  prophets  seemed  to  have  a 
knowledge  of  almost  every  thing  before  it  came  to  pass;  when 
Elijah  was  about  to  be  translated,  he  could  not  keep  it  a 
secret,  though  he  sought  diligently  to  do  so;  Elisha  was  too 
much  of  a  prophet  to  be  ignorant  of  what  was  about  to 
happen,  therefore  he  followed  Elijah  wherever  he  went ;  and 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  185 

also  fifty  other  "prophets  went  and  stood  to  view  afar  off." 
(//.  Kings  a.  7.)  These  prophets  lived  in  various  cities  and 
generally  had  masters  or  chief  prophets  over  them.  One 
company  dwelt  at  Ramah,  over  whom  Samuel  was  appointed 
to  preside,  as  just  mentioned;  another  company  dwelt  at 
Bethel :  another  at  Jericho.  ( See  11.  Kings  ii.  3 — 5. )  When 
Jezebel  cut  off  the  prophets  of  the  Lord,  there  were  a  hun- 
dred that  Obadiah  managed  to  save  alive  by  hiding  them  in 
caves.  [See  I.  Kings  xviii.  13.)  flence  prophets,  at  times, 
were  very  numerous  in  Israel.  And,  no  doubt,  if  we  had  all 
of  their  prophecies,  we  should  have  many  volumes  much 
larger  than  the  Bible;  but  their  prophecies  were  not  all 
written,  and  from  this  fact,  we  have  raason  to  believe  that 
their  gift  was  intended  more  for  the  benefit  of  themselves  and 
others  in  their  day,  than  for  future  ages. 

32.— Some  have  supposed  that  after  Christ  came,  the  Chris- 
tian Church  would  not  be  blessed  with  prophets  any  more; 
but  this  is  a  mistaken  notion,  for  Jesus  says  Himself  to  the 
Jews,  "Behold,  I  send  unto  you  prophets,  and  wise  men,  and 
scribes  ;  and  some  of  them  ye  shall  kill  and  crucify ;  and  some 
of  them  shall  ye  scourge  in  your  synagogues,  and  persecute 
them  from  city  to  city."  [Matt,  xxiii.  34.)  Paul  also 
informs  the  Ephesians,  that  when  Christ  "ascended  up  on 
high.  He  led  captivity  captive  and  gave  gifts  unto  men." 
And  he  further  states,  that  "he  gave  some,  apostles;  and 
some,  prophets ;  and  some,  evangelists ;  and  some,  pastors 
and  teachers."  [Eph.  iv.  8-11.)  Prophets,  then,  were 
among  the  gifts  which  were  given  unto  men  after  the  ascen- 
sion of  our  Savior :  this  accords  with  another  saying  of  Paul, 
that  "God  hath  set  some  in  the  Church,  first  apostles,  second- 
arily prophets,  thirdly  teachers,"  etc. ;  [I.  Cor.  xii  28.)  and  also 
when  speaking  of  the  diversity  of  gifts  imparted  to  the  Church 
by  the  Spirit,  he  says,  to  one  is  given  wisdom ;  to  another, 
knowledge;  to  another,  faith;  to  another,  prophecy,'^  etc. 
From  these  passages  we  learn  that  prophets  were  just  as  much 
intended  for  the  Christian  Church  as  teachers,  pastors,  wis- 
dom, knowledge,  faith  or  any  other  gift.  And  yet,  those  who 
profess  to  have  the  Christian  religion  exclude  prophets  from 
their  churches ;  with  the  same  propriety,  thej^  might  exclude 


186  DITINE  AUTHENTICITT 

the  gifts  of  wisdom,  knowledge,  faith,  teachers,  pastors  and 
every  other  gift  promised  in  the  gospel. 

33. — We  shall  now  show  that  prophets  and  all  other  officers, 
or  gifts,  are  indispensably  necessary,  as  expressed  by  Paul, 
"For  the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try, for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ,  till  we  all  come  in 
the  unity  of  the  faith,  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of 
Grod,  unto  a  perfect  man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of 
the  fullness  of  Christ:  that  we  henceforth  be  no  more  chil- 
dren, tossed  to  and  fro,  and  carried  about  with  every  wind  of 
doctrine,  by  the  sleight  of  men  and  cunning  craftiness, 
whereby  they  lie  in  wait  to  deceive ;  but  speaking  the  truth 
in  love,  may  grow  up  into  Him  in  all  things,  which  is  the  head, 
even  Christ ;  from  whom  the  whole  body  fitly  joined  together 
and  compacted  by  that  which  every  joint  supplieth,  accord- 
ing to  the  effectual  working  in  the  measure  of  every  part, 
maketh  increase  of  the  body  unto  the  edifying  of  itself  in 
love."  {Eph.  iv.  12-16.)  The  object,  then,  of  these  officers 
and  gifts,  is  first,  "/or  the  perfecting  of  the  Saints;''  secondly, 
"for  the  work  of  the  ministry, "  and  thirdly,  "for  the  edifying 
of  the  body  of  Christ."  We  now  ask,  all  Christendom  who 
profess  to  be  Saints,  whether  they  are  perfect  or  imperfect? 
The  general  answer  is,  "we  are  imperfect."  How  do  you 
expect  to  become  perfect,  if  you  do  away  out  of  your  churches 
inspired  apostles,  prophets,  and  other  officers?  These  are  the 
only  gifts  and  officers  by  which  the  Saints  can  be  perfected. 
Have  you  got  them  in  your  midst?  Millions  answer  "no :  we 
do  not  believe  in  prophets  in  our  day."  But  do  you  believe 
in  "pastors  and  teachers?"  0  yes,  they  are  necessary.  Who 
told  you  to  reject  the  most  important  gifts  of  the  church  and 
to  retain  the  rest  ?  No  one  has  told  us  to  do  this  but  our 
ministers,  and  they  must  be  good  men,  and  they  say  that 
apostles  and  prophets  are  no  longer  necessary,  but  that  evan- 
gelists, pastors  and  teachers  are.  And  then  do  you  think 
your  ministers  are  good  men  when  they  do  away  the  plan 
established  for  the  perfecting  of  the  Saints,  and  substitute  the 
plans  of  men  in  its  stead  ?  Does  not  Paul  declare  that  any 
man  or  angel  shall  be  cursed  who  preaches  a  different  gospel 
from  the  one  he  preached  ?      And  did  he  not  include  in  his 


UNIVERSITY 

Of  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMOin^^yf  ^       '^^-187, 


Fm^ 


gospel  all  these  gifts  for  the  perfecting  of  _ 

certainly  he  did ;  and  if  your  ministers  teach  you  differently 
they  are  cursed  and  all  that  follow  their  teachings  will  be 
cursed.  Know  assuredly  that  there  never  was  any  other  plan 
adopted  in  the  gospel  to  perfect  the  Saints  than  through 
apostles,  prophets  and  other  gifts.  Do  you  need  "the  work  of 
the  ministry?"  All  answer,  yes.  Remember,  then,  that  "for 
the  work  of  the  ministry,"  apostles  and  prophets,  are  declared 
to  be  as  necessary  as  pastors  and  teachers.  If  one  is  unneces- 
sary, all  are  unnecessary,  and  the  work  of  the  ministry  must 
cease.  On  the  other  hand,  if  one  is  necessary,  all  are  neces- 
sary, that  the  work  of  the  ministry  may  continue.  If  Grod  has 
authorized  teachers  among  the  churches  of  Christendom,  He 
must  likewise  have  authorized  apostles  and  prophets ;  if  He 
has  not  the  latter,  He  has  not  the  former;  and  if  He  has 
neither,  He  has  no  Church  on  the  earth.  Again,  does  the 
Church  need  to  be  edified  in  these  days  ?  Most  certainly. 
What  is  God's  plan  to  edify  the  Church?  Paul  says,  that  He 
gave,  not  only  pastors  and  teachers,  to  edify  them,  but  also 
apostles  and  prophets.  Where  these  officers  have  no  existence 
there  can  be  no  edification  of  the  Church.  Any  other  plan  of 
edification,  however  great  and  magnificent,  will  not  do.  God's 
plan  is,  not  only  superior  to  all  others,  but  it  is  the  only  plan 
ordained  "for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ."  Thus  we 
see,  that  without  inspired  apostles,  prophets,  etc. ,  there  can  be 
no  work  of  the  ministry — no  edification  of  the  body  of  Christ 
— no  perfecting  of  the  Saints— and  consequently  no  Church. 

34. — But  Paul  did  not  leave  us  ignorant  with  regard  to 
further  duties  of  these  inspired  officers.  He  says  that  they 
are  necessary  to  prevent  the  Church  from  being  "toBsed  to  and 
fro"  like  children  and  to  keep  them  from  being  "carried  about 
by  every  wind  of  doctrine,  by  the  sleight  of  men  and  cunning 
craftiness,  whereby  they  lie  in  wait  to  deceive."  The  great 
reason  why  the  millions  are  carried  away  and  tossed  about 
with  the  false  and  soul- destroying  doctrines  of  the  Papists  and 
Protestants  is,  because  they  have  not  inspired  apostles  and 
prophets  among  them,  and,  therefore,  without  this  great  pre- 
ventative, the  cunning  craftiness  of  men  overpowers  them,  and 
they  follow  the  corrupt  impositions  of  modern  religionists. 


188  l)rV'INE  AUtHENTICtTY 

35. — These  gifts  were  never  intended  to  be  done  away  from 
the  Church  in  this  state  of  existence,  as  we  have  already  proved 
in  the  first  chapters  of  this  series.  And  Paul  corroborates  this 
when  he  says,  they  were  given  "for  the  perfecting  of  the  Saints, 
for  the  work  of  the  ministry  and  for  the  edifying  of  the  body 
of  Christ ;  till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith  and  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  unto  a  perfect  man,  unto  the 
measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fullness  of  Christ/'  In  what 
state  will  all  the  Saints  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith  ?  When 
will  they  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of 
Grod?  When  will  they  all  be  perfect  men?  When  will  they 
all  come  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fullness  of 
Christ?  The  answer  to  all  these  questions  is  given  by  Paul 
when  he  says,  that  when  that  which  is  perfect  is  come,  the 
Saints  are  to  see  the  Lord  face  to  face,  and  know  as  they  are 
known,  and  see  as  they  are  seen.  Consequently,  it  will  be  in 
the  next  state  of  existence,  and  not  in  this.  Therefore,  in 
this  state  of  existence,  as  the  Church  is  imperfect  and  needs 
edifying,  apostles,  prophets,  teachers  and  all  other  gifts  which 
Jesus  has  given  or  promised,  are  indispensably  necessary  to 
accomplish  that  great  and  important  work  which  cannot  possi- 
bly be  accomplished  in  any  other  way. 

36. — In  the  foregoing,  it  will  be  seen,  that  new  revelation  is 
the  very  life  and  soul  of  the  religion  of  heaven — that  it  is 
indispensably  necessary  for  the  calling  of  all  ofiicers  in  the 
Church— that  without  it,  the  officers  can  never  be  instructed 
in  the  various  duties  of  their  callings — that  where  the  spirit  of 
revelation  does  not  exist,  the  Church  cannot  be  comforted  and 
taught  in  all  wisdom  and  knowledge — cannot  be  properly 
reproved  and  chastened  according  to  the  mind  of  Grod — can- 
not obtain  promises  for  themselves,  but  are  dependent  upon 
the  promises  made  through  the  ancients.  Without  new 
revelation  the  people  are  like  a  blind  man  groping  his  way  in 
total  darkness,  not  knowing  the  dangers  that  beset  his  path. 
Without  prophets  and  revelators,  darkness  hangs  over  the 
future — no  city,  people  or  nation,  understand  what  awaits 
them.  Without  new  revelation,  no  people  know  of  the 
approaching  earthquake — of  the  deadly  plague — of  the  terri. 
ble  war — of  the  withering  famine — and  of  the  fearfuljjudg- 


Of  THE  BOOK  Of  MORMON.  189 

tnents  of  the  Almighty  which  hang  over  their  devoted  heads. 
When  the  voice  of  Hving  prophets  and  apostles  are  no  longer 
heard  in  the  land — there  is  an  end  of  perfecting  and  edifying 
the  Saints— there  is  a  speedy  end  to  the  ''work  of  the  minis- 
try"— there  is  an  end  to  the  obtaining  of  that  knowledge  so 
necessary  to  eternal  life — there  is  an  end  to  all  that  is  great, 
grand  and  glorious,  pertaining  to  the  religion  of  heaven — 
there  is  an  end  to  the  very  existence  of  the  Church  of  Christ 
on  the  earth — there  is  an  end  to  salvation  in  the  celestial  king- 
dom. Awake  then,  oh,  ye  slumbering  nations — awake  from 
the  slumber  of  death  and  Christ  shall  give  you  light  by  the 
revelations  of  the  Holy  Ghost! 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE  BIBLE  AND  TRADITION,  WITHOUT  FURTHER  REVELATION, 
AN  INSUFFICIENT  GUIDE. 

1. — In  the  former  chapters  of  this  series  it  has  been  proved 
that  more  revelation  is  neither  unscriptural  nor  unreasonable, 
but  indispensably  necessary  to  the  very  existence  of  the  Church 
of  God  on  the  earth.  In  this  chapter  it  will  be  shown  that 
without  further  revelation  the  Bible  is  an  insufficient  guide. 
That  part  of  the  Bible  called  the  New  Testament  was  written 
many  years  after  the  establishment  of  the  Christian 
Church.  How  was  the  Church  founded  and  governed 
before  the  New  Testament  was  written?  Answer:  by 
the  revelations  of  Christ  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  speaking 
through  the  apostles  and  prophets.  These  revelations  were 
verbal,  and  not  written :  were  delivered  by  word  of  mouth,  and 
not  with  pen  and  ink.  Large  and  numerous  churches  were 
established  in  Palestine,  in  Asia,  in  Europe  and  among  the 
various  nations  of  the  eastern  hemisphere,  which  were  abund- 
antly blessed  with  revelations,  with  prophecies,  with  dreams 
and  visions,  with  the  ministry  of  angels,  and  with  the  miracul- 
ous powers  and  manifestations  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  yet 
they  had  not  the  writings  of  the  New  Testament. 


190  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

2. — If  the  Chnrch  could  be  founded  and  grow,  and  flourish j 
and  be  perfected  without  the  New  Testament  writings :  if  she 
could,  through  verbal  revelation,  learn  every  principle  of  doc- 
trine, and  be  taught  in  every  duty,  during  the  most  of  the  first 
century,  the  same  gift  of  revelation  and  prophecy  could  have 
instructed  her  in  all  succeeding  generations,  even  though  the 
New  Testament  had  never  been  written.  If  inspired  apostles, 
prophets  and  other  officers  could  perfect  the  Saints  in  the  first 
century,  surely  the  same  kind  of  officers  could  perfect  them  in 
all  future  ages.  Written  revelations  were  never  intended  to 
supersede  verbal  and  continued  revelation  through  the  living 
ministry.  If  the  Church  of  Christ  had  continued  on  the  earth, 
successive  apostles  and  prophets  would  have  continued  with 
her,  endowed  with  all  the  powers  and  gifts  of  the  first;  and 
the  revelations  in  each  successive  generation  would  have  been 
equally  sacred  with  those  given  at  the  first ;  and  there  would 
have  been  no  such  thing  thought  of  as  the  canon  of  scripture 
being  full  and  complete. 

3.  — There  are  many  things  practiced  by  both  Romish  and 
Protestant  churches  which  the  scriptures  do  not  clearly  reveal, 
therefore  they  must  both  of  them  consider  that  the  scriptures 
are  not  a  sufficient  guide.  We  are  informed  in  scripture  that 
marriage  is  ordained  of  God,  but  we  are  not  informed  in  the 
scripture  who  has  the  right  to  officiate  in  this  ceremony.  Who 
can  tell  from  the  New  Testament  anything  about  the  order  to 
be  observed  in  relation  to  this  subject?  We  read  that  "what 
God  hath  joined  together  let  no  man  put  asunder;  "  but 
through  what  particular  office  does  God  join  together  the  sexes 
in  matrimony?  Can  laymen  officiate?  Can  those  out  of  the 
Church  officiate?  Can  a  woman  officiate?  Can  the  parties 
join  themselves  together  in  matrimony,  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord?  Who  can  answer  these  questions  from  the  Bible  alone? 
No  one.  The  Bible  does  not  guide  the  Church  in  this  important 

ordinance. 

4. —Who  can  tell  from  the  Bible  whether  Teachers  and  Dea- 
cons have  authority  to  baptize,  or  not?  Baptism  is  an 
important  ordinance,  and  should  be  administered  by  proper 
authority,  but  can  any  one  in  the  Church  administer  it?  Can 
private  members  baptize?  Can  women  baptize?  Does  the 
Bible  anywhere  forbid  them,  or  say  that  they  are  not  author- 


I 


OF  THE  BOOK  OY   MORMON.  191 

ized?  John  the  Baptist,  who  held  the  Priesthood  of  Aaron, 
had  authority  to  baptize.  Apostles,  Elders  and  Evangelists 
baptized.  Did  the  authority  extend  to  any  lower  officers  or 
members?  The  Bible  does  not  inform  us ;  therefore  the  Bible 
is  not  a  sufficient  guide. 

5. — Again,  what  officers  in  the  Curch  have  a  right  to  lay  on 
hands  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit?  Can  any  but  apostles 
administer  the  Spirit  by  this  sacred  ordinance?  Ananias  was 
sent  to  Paul  to  baptize  him,  and  lay  his  hands  upon  him,  that 
he  ''might  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost."  Was  Ananias  an 
apostle  ?  or  did  he  hold  some  lower  office  ?  Philip  could  bap- 
tize the  Samaritans,  while  Peter  and  John  laid  hands  upon 
both  men  and  women  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Grhost.  The 
great  question  is,  can  any  but  apostles  lay  on  hands  in  the 
ordinance  of  confirmation?  The  Bible  does  not  answer  this 
question,  therefore  the  Bible  is  not  a  sufficient  guide. 

6. — It  is  admitted  that  the  Lord's  supper  is  a  divine  ordin- 
ance ;  but  who  is  authorized  to  break  the  bread  and  bless  it, 
and  also  the  wine,  and  administer  it  to  the  Saints?  Can 
Teachers  or  Deacons  do  this  with  authority?  Can  private 
members  or  women  administer  in  this  solemn  ordinance  ?  There 
is  nothing  in  the  New  Testament  that  either  authorizes  or  for- 
bids them  to  do  it.  Can  any  one,  without  being  instructed  by 
new  revelation,  administer  the  Lord's  supper  in  His  name,  with 
His  authority,  and  by  His  sanction?  The  Bible  does  not 
answer  this  question,  therefore  the  Bible  is  not  a  sufficient 
guide. 

7. — In  what  particular  points  does  a  Teacher's  duty  differ 
from  a  Deacon's?  Wherein  do  the  duties  of  Elders,  Evan- 
gehsts  and  Pastors  differ  ?  What  authority  has  one  that  the 
others  do  not  possess?  All  these  are  questions  which  the  Bible 
does  not  plainly  answer,  yet  to  be  a  sufficient  guide,  it  should 
answer  all  such  questions  definitely. 

8.— Is  infant  baptism  right  or  wrong?  Does  the  Bible  anj^- 
where  teach  infant  baptism  by  command  or  example  ?  If  infant 
baptism  be  right,  the  Bible  has  not  informed  us  of  it,  there- 
fore it  must  be  an  insufficient  guide.  If  infant  baptism  be 
wrong,  at  what  age  should  children  be  baptized  ?  Upon  this 
question  the  Bible  also  is  silent. 


8* 


192  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

9. — Should  the  members  or  officers  of  the  Church  lay  their 
hands  upon  little  children,  and  pray  for  them,  and  bless  them 
after  the  example  that  Jesus  has  given  or  not  ?  This  is  a  ques- 
tion that  cannot  be  settled  by  the  Bible. 

10. — Should  all  the  Saints  wash  one  another's  feet,  or  is  this 
an  ordinance  limited  to  the  apostles  and  officers  of  the  Church? 
The  Bible  again  is  silent,  and  does  not  plainly  answer  the  ques- 
tion. 

11. — Again,  must  the  seventh  day  or  the  first  day  of  the 
week  be  kept  holy  unto  the  Lord  ?  The  New  Testament  does 
not  clearly  answer  this  question.  There  is  rather  more  evidence 
in  that  book  for  keeping  holy  the  Sabbath  day  or  Saturday, 
than  there  is  for  keeping  the  first  day  or  Sunday.  The  New 
Testament  is  very  indefinite  on  this  subject,  and  therefore  it  is 
an  insufficient  guide. 

12. — Furthermore,  where  in  the  Bible  does  it  say  that  the 
king  and  people  in  England  ought  to  revolt  from  the  Romish 
church,  and  form  a  church  of  their  own  by  act  of  parliament? 
If  the  Bible  were  a  sufficient  guide,  why  was  an  act  of  parlia- 
ment necessary  as  another  guide  to  form  the  English  church  ? 
If  the  Bible  were  a  sufficient  guide,  why  was  another  book 
made,  called  the  "Book  of  Common  Prayer,"  and  the  people 
compelled  to  give  heed  to  it  under  pain  of  banishment,  and 
even  death  itself?  If  the  articles  of  religion,  contained  in  the 
New  Testament  were  a  sufficient  guide,  why  were  "Thirty-nine 
Articles"  more,  enforced  upon  the  people  by  acts  of  parlia- 
ment, and  the  people  butchered  and  murdered  because  they 
could  not  conscientiously  comply  with  them  ?  It  is  certain  that 
this  newly-formed-parliament-made  church  considered  the  Bible 
to  be  very  deficient  as  a  guide,  or  they  never  would  have 
resorted  to  such  blood-thirsty,  murderous  measures  to  establish 
other  books  in  addition  to  the  Bible. 

13. — If  Protestants  suppose  the  Bible  to  be  a  sufficient 
guide,  as  they  are  constantly  telling  their  followers,  will  they 
be  so  kind  as  to  point  out  what  part  of  that  sacred  book,  called 
Luther,  Calvin,  Cranmer,  Wesley  and  hosts  of  others,  to 
preach,  baptize  and  administer  many  other  ordinances  such  as 
the  ancient  Church  administered?  Indeed,  what  part  of  the 
Bible  calls  and  commissions  any  of  the  ministers  of  the  present 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  193 

day?  It  can  be  said  without  any  fear  of  contradiction,  that 
the  Bible  nowhere  has  called  a  single  individual  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry  for  the  last  seventeen  centuries.  Therefore,  for 
the  calling  of  the  ministry,  the  Bible  is  an  insufficient 
guide. 

14. — Again,  what  part  of  the  Bible  has  established  the  sal- 
aries of  the  different  officers  of  the  church?  If  it  be  necessary 
that  preachers  should  have  wages,  how  much  shall  it  be  ?  How 
much  more  shall  an  apostle  get  than  a  prophet?  If  a  bishop 
get  from  ten  to  twenty  thousand  pounds  for  one  year's  preach- 
ing, how  much  should  an  inspired  apostle  or  prophet  get  ?  Or 
how  much  should  some  of  the  lower  officers  have  ?  The  New 
Testament  does  not  tell  us  the  amount  of  wages  religious  hire- 
lings should  have,  therefore,  if  it  be  important  to  know,  the 
Bible  is  an  insufficient  guide.  It  says,  however,  that  apostles 
should  "take  neither  purse  nor  scrip,"  but  it  leaves  us  entirely 
in  the  dark  as  to  how  much  bishops,  arch-bishops  and  other 
officers  should  have.  Would  it  not  be  a  wise  plan  for  an  act  of 
parliament  to  increase  their  wages  a  little,  lest  they  suffer? 
We  see  plainly  that  the  Bible  is  not  a  sufficient  guide  in  many, 
very  many  points,  as  the  doings  of  the  whole  Protestant  world 
most  plainly  declare. 

15, — Let  us  now  see  whether  the  Boman  Catholics  consider 
the  Bible  a  sufficient  guide.  They  plainly  tell  us  in  their  writ- 
ings that  they  do  not.  So  far,  then,  they  are  consistent.  But 
what  do  they  suppose  makes  up  the  deficiency?  They  answer, 
"tradition,"  or  the  "unwritten  word"  of  Grod,  as  it  was 
spoken  by  the  apostles,  and  handed  down  uncorrupted  to  the 
present  day.  The  Right  Reverend  Doctor  Milner,  a  very  able  and 
learned  Catholic  bishop,  says,  "The  Catholic  rule  of  faith,  as 
I  stated  before,  is  not  merely,  the  written  word  of  God^  but  the 
whole  word  of  God^  both  written  and  unwintten;  in  other 
words.  Scripture  and  Tradition^  and  these  propounded  and 
explained  hy  the  Catholic  church.'''*  The  Catholics  do  not 
believe  in  any  later  revelations  than  what  were  given  in  the 
first  age  of  Christianity :  this  may  be  seen  in  their  writings. 
Dr.  Milner,  in  speaking  of  the  Papist  churches,   says,    "It 

* ^'•End  of  Controversy,"  Letter  x.  p.  125. 


194  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

is  a  fundamental  maxim  with  them  all,  never  to  admit  of  any 
tenets  but  such  as  is  believed  by  all  the  bishops,  and  wa^ 
believed  hy  their  predecessors  up  to  the  apostles  themselves.^' f 
According  to  this,  the  Romanists  never  admit  any  new  tenet. 
With  their  views,  no  revelations  can  be  given — all  things  believed 
or  received  by  them  must  be  traced  back  through  all  "their 
predecessors  up  to  the  apostles  themselves:"  they  are  not  per- 
mitted to  believe  any  thing  which  their  fathers  were  ignorant 
of.  When  any  thing  is  presented  to  them,  the  question  is  not, 
whether  it  is  a  new  revelation  from  God,  but  they  immediately 
inquire,  has  it  been  believed  by  the  church  since  the  first  age  ? 
If  it  has  not,  it  is  rejected.  The  Catholic  church  does  not 
claim  the  assistance  of  the  Spirit  to  reveal  anything  new,  "but 
merely,"  as  Bishop  Milner  expresses  himself,  she  claims  "the 
aid  of  Grod's  Holy  Spirit,  to  enable  her  truly  to  decide  what  her 
faith  is,  and  has  ever  been  in  such  articles  as  have  been  made 
known  to  her  by  scripture  and  tradition.'^  % 

16. — After  revelation  ceased  to  be  given,  and,  consequently, 
the  Church  of  Christ  ceased  its  existence  on  the  earth,  many 
of  the  first  apostates  pretended  that  scripture  and  tradition 
were  a  sufficient  guide,  and  that  nothing  new  was  needed. 
Irenaeus,  who  lived  in  the  second  century,  seems  to  have  for- 
gotten that  Grod  placed  in  the  Church  inspired  men  to  con- 
stantly instruct  her  by  new  revelation,  and  like  all  the  subse- 
quent apostates  lays  great  stress  upon  tradition.      He  says, 

"supposing  the  apostles  had  not  left  us  the  SCRIP- 
TURES,    OUGHT    WE    NOT    STILL    TO     HAVE    FOLLOWED    THE 

ORDINANCE  OF  TRADITION,  which  they  consigned  to  those  to 
whom  they  committed  the  churches  ?  It  is  this  ordinance  of 
tradition^''  continues  he,  "which  many  nations  of  barbarians, 
believing  in  Christ,  follow,  without  the  use  of  letters  or  ink."  I 
Tertullian,  who  lived  at  the  close  of  the  same  century,  finding 
the  scriptures  an  insufficient  guide,  appeals  to  tradition  instead 
of  new  revelation.  He  says,  "We  begin,  therefore,  with  laying 
it  down  as  a  maxim,  that  these  men"  (speaking  of  the  oppo- 


t End  of  Controversy,  Letter  xii.  p.  166. 

X Ibid,  Letter  xii.  p.  168. 

I ^Advers.  Hseres.,  Letter  iv.  c.  64. 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  195 

nents  of  his  church)  "ought  not  to  be  allowed  to  argue  at  all 
from  scripture.  In  fact,"  continues  he,  "these  disputes  about 
the  sense  of  scripture,  have  generally  no  other  effect  than  to 
disorder  either  the  stomach  or  the  brain.  It  is  therefore  the 
wrong  method  to  appeal  to  the  scriptures,  since  these  aiford 
either  no  decision,  or,  at  most,  only  a  doubtful  one.  And  even, 
if  this  were  not  the  case,  still,  in  appealing  to  scripture,  the 
natural  order  of  things  requires  that  we  should  first  inquire  to 
whom  the  scriptures  belong.  From  whom,  and  by  whom,  and 
on  what  occasion,  and  to  whom  that  tradition  was  delivered  by 
which  we  became  Christians."*  This  author  in  another  work,t 
as  Dr.  Milner  states,  "proves,  at  great  length,  the  absolute 
necessity  of  admitting  tradition  no  less  than  scripture  as  the 
rule  of  faith,  inasmuch  as  many  important  'points,  which  he 
mentions,  cannot  be  proved  without  it." 

17. — Doctor  Milner,  to  show  that  the  tradition  of  the  apos- 
tles together  with  the  scriptiires^  was  the  only  rule  of  faith  in 
the  early  ages  of  his  church,  cites  us  to  the  writings  of  St. 
Clement  of  Alexandria,  St.  Cyprian,  Origen,  etc.,  of  the  third 
century — St.  Basil,  and  St.  Epiphanius  of  the  fourth  century 
— and  St.  John  Chrysostom  at  the  beginning,  and  St.  Vincent 
of  Lerins,  at  the  end  of  the  fifth  century.  All  these  writers, 
instead  of  contending  for  the  great  and  infallible  guide,  namely, 
NEW  REVELATION,  which  instructed  the  Church  during  the 
first  century,  have  contended  merely  for  ancient  scripture  and 
tradition  as  their  only  guide— as  their  only  rule  of  faith.  Thus 
we  can  see,  how  early  apostasy  succeeded  Christianity— we  can 
see,  how  early  this  rule  of  faith  was  changed. 

18. — If  all  the  decrees  and  decisions  of  the  pope  and  general 
councils  among  the  Catholics  be  examined,  it  will  be  seen  that 
such  decrees  and  decisions  profess  to  be  founded,  not  upon  new 
revelation^  but  upon  ancient  scripture  or  tradition.  She  pro- 
fesses that  her  general  councils  are  guided  by  the  Holy  Grhost 
in  ascertaining  what  the  apostolical  traditions  are,  but  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  does  not  give  them  anything  new.  That  these  are 
really  the  views  of  the  Catholics,  may  be  perceived  on  almost 


I 


-Praescrip.  Advers.  Hseres.,  edit.  Bbenan,  pp.  36,  37. 
-De.  Corona  Milit. 


196  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

every  page  of  some  of  their  standard  works.  The  Right  Rev. 
Bishop  Milner,  in  his  "End  of  Religious  Controversy,"  has 
very  definitely,  and  at  some  length,  set  forth  this  view.  J.  Mur- 
doch, a  Roman  Catholic  bishop,  has  highly  recommended  a 
work  by  Joseph  Mumford,  entitled  "Question  of  Ques- 
tions," or  "Who  ought  to  be  our  Judge  in  all  Controversies?" 
In  this  work  the  author  states  most  clearly  that  the  Roman 
Catholic  church,  "pretends  to  no  new  revelations,  but 

ONLY  TO    DECLARE    CLEARLY    WHAT    SHE    FINDS    TO     HAVE 

BEFORE  BEEN  REVEALED."  %  These  general  councils  are  con- 
sidered infallible,  not  because  they  are  inspired  with  the  word 
of  Grod  direct  to  themselves,  for  this  power  they  deny,  but 
because  they  suppose  the  Holy  Grhost  assists  them  to  find  out 
ancient  tradition.  We  again  quote,  from  the  last- mentioned 
work. 

19. — "Now  to  see  what  the  councils  on  their  part  are  to  do  ; 
I  must  tell  you,  that  their  chief  business  is  to  examine  the  points  in 
controversy ;  hearing  all  that  occurs  for  the  one  side  and  the 
other,  and  permitting  several  replies,  if  any  remain,  in  due 
time  to  be  made.  After  this  diligence  is  used,  they  consider 
what  seems  most  conformable  to  the  word  of  God,  and  every 
one's  vote  is  passed  upon  this  particular.  But  here  I  must  tell 
you,  that  by  the  word  of  God,  all  councils,  and  orthodox 
believers  have  ever  understood,  not  only  God's  written  word, 
contained  in  scripture,  but  also  His  unwritten  word  made 
known  to  the  church  ONLY  by  tradition,  which  tradition  also  is, 
and  was  ever  accounted  by  the  church  the  very  best  and  surest 
interpreter  of  the  scripture.  The  votes  therefore  of  the  fathers 
assembled  in  council  are  demanded,  not  only  of  what  they  think  to 
be  conformable  to  God's  word  written  in  scripture,  but  also 
how  conformable  to  God's  word  written  in  scripture,  but  also 
which  they  have  all  received  from  the  fathers  of  their  church,  as 
delivered  to  them  from  their  fiathers  for  God's  word,  by  tradi- 
tion committed  to  their  forefathers  as  such,  from  the  apostles 
themselves."  ^ 

20. — Let  no  one  suppose  that  the  Catholics  believe  in  new 


X "Question  of  Questions,"  Sec.  xxiv.  par.  14. 

2 Ibid,  Sec.  xix.  2. 


OF  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  197 

revelation ;  for  in  the  above  quotation  it  is  expressly  asserted 
that,  "the  unwritten  word  is  made  known  to  the  church  only 
by  tradition, ' '  and  that  this  tradition  must  come  through  their 
fathers  "from  the  Apostles  themselves  "  The  business  of  the 
Catholic  councils,  then,  is,  not  to  get  any  word  from  God  direct  to 
themselves,  but  to  determine  what  God  said  to  the  Apostles. 
That  this  is  all  that  they  pretend  to  do,  is  also  evident  from  the 
words  of  Vincentius  Lirinensis,  as  quoted  by  Mumford ;  he 
says,  "This  only,  and  nothing  but  this,  the  Catholic  church 
does  do  by  the  decrees  of  her  council ;  that  what  before  they 
had  received  only  by  tradition  from  their  ancestors,  that  now 
they  leave  consigned  in  authentical  writing  to  all  posterity.* 
Councils,  then,  are  convened  to  determine  traditions — they  arc 
convened  to  write  traditions  in  the  form  of  decrees.  Now  all 
this  is  good  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  it  stops  infinitely  short  of  the 
true  rule  of  faith,  established  in  the  apostolical  church,  namely, 

DIRECT    AND    IMMEDIATE    REVELATION    through   her   officcrS, 

whether  assembled  in  council  or  dispersed  individually  among 
the  nations. 

21. — That  the  apostate  papal  church  does  not  obtain  new 
revelation,  as  the  apostolical  church  always  did,  is  still  further 
evident  from  her  defining  the  canoaical  books,  called  scripture. 
This  was  first  done  at  the  Third  Council  of  Carthage  in  the 
year  397.  Previous  to  that  time  there  had  been  a  great  variety 
of  opinions  as  to  what  books  were  inspired  of  God.  Mumford 
speaks  thus  on  this  subject: — "If  you  fly  to  the  tradition  of 
the  church  only  of  the  first  four  hundred  years,  remember  that 
the  Council  of  Carthage  just  after  the  end  of  those  years 
alleged  the  ancient  tradition  of  their  fathers,  which  they  judged 
sufiicient  for  defining  our  canon.  They,  who  were  so  near  those 
first  four  hundred  years,  knew  far  better  the  more  universal 
tradition  of  that  age,  than  we  can  twelve  hundred  years  after 
it.  True  it  is,  (nothing  being  defined  till  then}  private  doctors 
were  free  to  follow  what  they  judged  to  be  truest ;  and  as  you 
find  them  varying  from  our  canon,  some  in  some  books,  some 
in  others :  so  you  will  find  them  varying  from  one  another, 
and  varying  also  from  you."  (meaning  the  Protestant  canon.) 

J^ ^"Question  of  Questions,"  Sec.  xix.  par.  2. 


198  DIVINE  AUTEIENTICITT 

'  'For  in  those  first  four  hundred  years,  Melitus  and  Nazianzen 
excluded  the  book  of  Esther,  which  you  add.  Origen  doubts 
of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  of  the  second  of  St.  Peter,  of 
the  first  and  second  of  St.  John;  St.  Cyprian  and  Nazianzen, 
leave  the  apocalypse  or  revelations  out  of  their  canon.  Euse- 
bius  doubts  of  it."  Elsewhere,  he  says,  all  those  holy  fathers 
agreed  ever  in  this,  that  such  books  were  evidently  God's  word, 
which  had  evidently  a  sufficient  tradition  for  them  :  now  in 
the  days  of  those  fathers  who  thus  varied  from  one  another,  it 
was  not  by  any  infallible  means  made  known  to  all,  that  those 
books  about  which  their  variance  was,  were  recommended  for 
God's  infallible  word,  by  a  tradition  clearly  sufficient  to  ground 
belief;  for  the  church  had  not  as  yet  examined  and  defined, 
whether  tradition  did  clearly  enough  show  such  and  such  books 
to  be  God's  infallible  word.  But  in  the  days  of  St.  Austin, 
the  Third  Council  of  Cartilage,  Anno,  397,  examined  how  suf- 
ficient or  insufficient  the  tradition  of  the  church  was,  which 
•  recommended  those  books  for  scripture,  about  which  there  was 
so  much  doubt  and  contrariety  of  opinions.  They  found  all 
the  books  contained  in  our  canon,  of  which  you  account  so 
many  apocryphal,  to  have  been  recommended  by  tradition,  suf- 
ficient to  ground  faith  upon.  For  on  this  ground  ( Can.  47. ) 
they  proceeded  in  defining  all  the  books  in  our  canon  to  be 
canonical.  Because^  say  they,  we  have  received  from  our 
fathers  that  those  hooks  were  to  he  read  in  the  Church.  Pope 
Innocent  the  First,  who  lived  Anno  402,  being  requested  by 
Exuperius,  bishop  of  Toulouse,  to  declare  unto  him  which 
books  were  canonical,  he  answered,  [Ep.  3,)  that  having 
examined  what  sufficient  tradition  did  demonstrate,  he  sets 
down —  What  hooks  are  receicedm  the  canon  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, in  the  end  of  his  epistle,  c.  7.  To  wit,  just  those  which 
we  now  have  in  our  canon :  and  though  he  rejects  many 
OTHER  BOOKS,  yet  he  rejects  not  one  of  these. ' '  f 

22— Here  is  the  most  incontrovertible  evidence  that  this 
apostate  church,  who  define  the  canon  of  scripture  at  the  close 
of  the  fourth  century,  did  not  believe  in  any  inspired  books 
being  given  after  the  first  century.      For  if  she  had  believed 

t "Question  of  Questions,"  Sec.  iii.  pars.  4, 12. 


i 


OV  THte  SOOK  OF  MORMON.  190 

that  amy  man  or  officer  in  her  communion  had  been  inspired  to 
write  the  word  of  Grod,  during  the  second,  third  or  fourth 
century,  she  would  most  assuredly  have  incorporated  such 
inspired  writings  in  the  sacred  canon;  but  the  very  fact  that  no 
books  were  admitted  by  the  council  of  Carthage  into  the 
canon,  which  were  written  after  the  first  century,  shows  most 
conclusively  that  they  did  not  consider  any  later  books  to  be 
inspired.  Here,  then,  is  demonstrative  evidence,  that  the 
apostate  Romish  church,  during  the  second,  third  and  fourth 
centuries  were  destitute  of  that  great  and  infallible  rule,  namely, 
NEW  REVELATION  which  characterized  the  Church  in  the  first 
century,  and  in  all  previous  ages  whenever  and  wherever  Grod 
had  a  people  living  in  righteousness  before  Him. 

23. — So  destitute  were  the  officers  of  this  apostate  church 
of  the  spirit  of  revelation  that  they  could  not  tell,  only  through 
tradition,  which  books  were  sacred,  and  which  were  not;  and 
hence  there  arose  a  great  contention  among  them  on  this  sub- 
ject, and  a  great  variety  of  opinions.  At  length  the  same  con- 
tending parties  meet  together  in  the  capacity  of  a  general  coun- 
cil, and  decide  which  books  shall  be  received  into  the  canon. 
Recollect,  dear  reader,  that  this  decision  does  not  pretend  to 
be  founded  upon  new  revelation  but  upon  tradition,  and  tradi- 
tion, too,  that  was  so  very  imperfect  that  it  led  one  to  reject  one 
book,  and  another,  another;  producing  a  great  contrariety  of 
opinions  before  the  council  met.  Who  can,  for  one  moment, 
suppose  that  a  council,  composed  of  a  set  of  contending  apos- 
tates so  destitute  of  the  spirit  of  truth  and  faith,  that  they 
could  not  inquire  of  God  and  get  a  revelation  upon  any  sub- 
jectj  however  important— who,  I  say,  can  suppose  that  they 
could  sit  in  judgment  upon  God's  holy  word,  and  infallibly 
decide  by  the  aid,  not  of  new  revelation,  but  tradition  alone, 
which  books  were  the  word  of  God  and  which  were  not?  Had 
they  believed  in  new  revelation,  and  inquired  of  God  which 
was  His  word  and  which  was  not,  there  would  have  been  some 
confidence  to  be  placed  in  their  decisions ;  but  as  it  is,  there  is 
scarcely  any  confidence  whatever  to  be  placed  in  them  in  regard 
to  this  matter.  Where  inspired  officers,  possessing  power  to 
obtain  new  revelation,  have  ceased,  there  infallibility  has 
ceased,  and  there  uncertainty  and  doubt  must  remain.     Tell 


200  DIVINE  AtTTHENTlCITir 

about  the  councils  of  the  church  of  Rome  being  infallible !  Who 
ever  heard  of  any  council  being  infallible  where  there  were  no 
prophets  and  revelators  that  could  decide  with  a  tlius  saith  the 
Lord,  and  thus  end  all  controversy  ?  The  Church  of  Grod 
never  pretends  infallibility  upon  any  other  grounds ;  j^et,  this 
apostate  "Mother  of  Harlots"  can,  with  one  breath,  call  her- 
self infallible  and  with  the  next  breath  deny  new  revelation. 

24. — That  the  Romanists  have  continued  in  their  apostasy 
until  the  present  day  is  demonstrated  from  the  fact  that  they 
have  not  added  one  single  book  to  their  canon  since  they  first 
formed  it.  Now,  if  there  had'  been  any  prophet  or  apostle 
among  them,  during  the  last  seventeen  centuries,  they  certainly 
would  have  canonized  his  epistles,  revelations  and  prophecies 
as  being  equally  sacred  with  those  of  the  first  century.  As 
they  have  not  done  this,  it  shows  most  clearly,  that  even  they 
themselves,  do  not  consider  that  they  have  had  apostles,  pro- 
phets and  revelators  among  them,  during  that  long  period  of 
time.  They  have  had,  during  the  time,  many  general  councils 
which  have  confirmed  the  old  canon  of  scripture,  but  in  no 
single  instance  have  they  confirmed  any  other  books  as  the 
word  of  God,  so  that  their  canon  stands  now  as  when  the 
council  of  Carthage  left  it,  without  an  addition  of  one  revela- 
tion. This  confirms,  beyond  all  controversy,  the  testimony  of 
their  most  standard  works,  from  which  we  have  before  quoted, 
wherein  it  is  repeatedly  asserted,  that  the  "written  and 
unwritten  word  of  Grod,"  revealed  previous  to  and  in  the  first 
century  is  the  0????/  rule  of  faith,  and  that  the  church  "pre- 
tends to  no  new  revelations,  but  only  to  declare  clearly  what 
she  finds  to  have  before  been  revealed;"  and  also,  that  the 
decrees  of  her  councils  are  in  relation  to  what  God  said  in 
the  first  century,  and  that  they  by  no  means  admit  that  He 
has  said  anything  of  a  later  date;  and  conformably  with 
these  views,  they  have  not  admitted  anything  into  the  sacred 
canon  as  scripture,  or  as  the  Word  of  God,  that  has  been 
written  during  the  long  period  of  seventeen  hundred  and  fifty 
years. 

25.— Upwards  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  popes  pretend  to 
have  successively  filled  the  chair  of  St.  Peter.  All  these 
popes,  we  are  told,  have  possessed  the  same  authority  and 


of  TttE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  20 1 

l)Ower  as  St.  Peter,  whom  they  designate  as  the  first  pope ; 
if  this  really  be  the  case,  then  each  of  these  popes  must  have 
been  inspired  of  God,  and  the  writings  6f  each  must  be 
equally  as  sacred  as  the  writings  of  Pope  St.  Peter.  Why 
then  has  the  church  showed  such  great  partiality  ?  Why  has 
she  placed  Pope  St.  Peter's  writings  in  the  sacred  canon,  and 
left  all  the  writings  of  the  other  popes  out? 

26. — ^Bishop  Milner  after  having  quoted  many  passages  of 
scripture,  and  used  many  arguments  to  prove  the  superiority 
of  Peter's  calling  to  that  of  the  other  apostles,  says,  "That 
bishops  in  general  succeed  to  the  rank  and  functions  of  the 
apostles ;  so,  by  the  same  rule,  the  successor  of  St.  Peter,  in 
the  See  of  Rome,  succeeds  to  his  primacy  and  jurisdiction."* 
If  this  be  true,  "that  bishops  in  general  succeed  to  the  rank 
and  functions  of  the  apostles,"  then  each  bishop,  as  well  as 
the  pope,  must  be  a  revelator  ;  for  apostles  were  revelators, 
and  one  of  the  "functions"  of  their  office  was  to  receive  reve- 
lations; therefore,  all  the  Roman  Catholic  bishops,  if  they 
succeed  to  the  same  rank,  and  exercise  the  same  "functions" 
as  apostles,  must  be  revelators.  According  to  this,  since  the 
first  century,  the  Catholics  must  have  had  many  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  revelators,  and  yet,  strange  to  say,  none  of  their 
revelations  are  permitted  to  enter  the  sacred  canon  among 
other  scriptures  given  in  the  first  century.  Here,  indeed,  is  a 
strange  inconsistency!  Even  the  Catholic  church  herself, 
evidently  places  no  confidence  in  the  popes  and  bishops,  the 
pretended  successors  of  St.  Peter  and  the  rest  of  the  apostles; 
if  she  did,  she  would  have  canonized  their  revelations  along 
with  the  rest  of  the  revelations  of  the  New  Testament. 
What  must  we  conclude  then,  as  to  her  bishops  holding  "the 
rank  and  functions  of  apostles?"  We  can  but  conclude 
that  it  is  an  imposition — a  ivicked  soul-destroying  imposition^ 
practiced  upon  the  nations  by  a  corrupt  apostate  church  whose 
officers  have  no  more  "the  rank  and  functions  of  apostles" 
than  the  apostate  chief  priests  amongthe  Jews  had.  Indeed,  so 
long  as  "they  pretend  to  no  new  revelations,"  they  cannot 
exercise  the  "functions  of  apostles." 

* "End  of  Controversy,"  Letter  xlvi.  p.  439. 


202  DlVlNE  AtTTHENTlCiTt 

27.— It  is  in  vain  for  the  Romish  church  to  pretend  that 
the  word  of  God,  spoken  to  the  apostles,  is  a  sufficient  guide 
for  all  future  ages.  It  is  contrary  to  the  dealings  of  God  in  all 
previous  dispensations.  He  never  left  His  faithful  people  in  one 
age  dependent  alone  on  the  word  spoken  in  a  previous  age. 
The  Catholics  in  appealing  to  tradition  and  ancient  scripture 
as  their  only  rule  of  faith,  have  endeavored  to  justify  them- 
selves, by  falsely  telling  the  people  that  mankind  were  depend- 
ent on  tradition  as  a  rule  of  faith  from  Adam  to  Moses— a 
period  of  about  twenty- four  hundred  years.  One  of  their 
writers  speaks  thus:  "The  whole  church  through  the  whole 
world  was  governed  by  tradition  only,  for  the  first  two  thousand 
years."  *  This  is  evidently  false ;  for  the  whole  church  gov- 
erned herself  from  Adam  to  Moses,  by  both  tradition  and  new 
revelation.  Each  age,  during  that  period,  furnished  the  Church 
with  revelators  who  delivered  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  her, 
and  she  was  governed  by  that  word,  and  also  by  the  traditions 
of  former  ages  as  far  as  they  were  applicable. 

28. — The  Church  was  not  only  governed  from  Adam  to 
Moses  by  new  revelation,  but  from  Moses  to  the  close  of  the 
first  century  of  the  Christian  era.  The  word  of  God  given  in 
past  ages,  whether  written  or  unwritten,  was  never  considered 
by  the  true  Church  a  sufficient  rule  of  faith  in  any  dispensa- 
tion since  the  creation  of  man.  Such  an  idea  was  never 
originated  in  the  Church  of  God.  It  was  the  apostate  Catho- 
lics that  first  originated  the  idea  and  by  them  the  fatal  delu- 
sion has  been  handed  down  from  generation  to  generation ; 
and  all  the  children  that  she  has  brought  forth,  or  that  have 
left  her  communion,  have,  more  or  less,  imbibed  the  same 
great  features  of  the  apostasy.  Well  might  the  Revelator 
John,  speaking   by   the  spirit  of  prophecy,  call  her    "the 

MOTHER   OF  HARLOTS  AND   ABOMINATIONS   OF  THE  EARTH  !" 

It  is  her  true  name,  for  all  the  "harlots"  which  she  has 
brought  forth  have  walked  in  the  footsteps  of  their  "Mother" 
in  declaring  against  new  revelation,  and  in  pretending  that 
ancient  revelation  was  a  sufficient  rule  of  iaith.  It  is  to  be 
expected  that  as  is  the  Mother,  so  will  be  her  Harlot  daughters. 


'Question  of  Questions,"  Sec.  xix.  par.  8. 


i 


OF  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  203 

The  daughters  in  some  respects  are  more  corrupt  than  the 
mother ;  for  they  have  limited  their  rule  of  faith  much  more 
than  the  mother.  Pope  Innocent  the  First,  (as  we  have 
already  quoted),  in  the  year  402,  sat  in  judgment  upon  the 
books  of  scripture,  and  rejected  many  of  them,  from  a  com- 
pilation in  the  canon.  Some  eleven  or  twelve  centuries  after 
this,  one  of  the  Harlot  daughters  believed  that  her  mother 
had  retained  too  much  scripture  in  her  canon :  therefore,  she 
concluded  to  make  a  new  canon  of  her  own,  which  she  actually 
did  do,  leaving  out  some  half  a  score  of  books  which  were  in 
her  mother's  canon.  This  newly-formed  canon  of  scripture 
is  palmed  upon  the  British  nation  and  the  United  States  as  a 
sufficient  rule  of  faith.  It  must  be  recollected  that  neither 
mother  nor  daughter  was  guided  by  new  revelation  in  forming 
these  two  different  canons  of  scripture.  As  the  mother 
decided  on  the  word  of  God  by  tradition,  so  did  the  daughter, 
and  as  tradition  taught  the  mother  to  reject  many  books  and 
receive  others,  so  tradition  taught  the  daughter  to  reject  all 
that  her  mother  rejected,  and  some  half  a-score  besides.  After 
awhile  this  harlot  daughter  brings  forth  a  numerous  progeny  of 
children,  each  of  whom  alters  her  creeds,  so  as  to  disagree 
with  both  mother  and  grandmother's  creeds  ;  yet  the  church 
of  England  with  all  her  daughters  agrees  in  the  rejection  of 
the  old  canon  of  scripture,  and  in  the  reception  of  the  newly- 
formed  one. 

29. — In  the  meantime,  another  harlot  daughter  of  the 
Catholics — the  Lutherans,  formed  another  canon,  and  rejected 
many  books  that  the  English  daughter  did  not.  She  cast  out 
the  epistle  of  St.  Paul  to  the  Hebrews,  the  epistle  of  St. 
James,  the  second  epistle  of  St.  Peter,  the  second  and  third  of 
St.  John,  the  epistle  of  St.  Jude  and  the  Apocalypse  or 
Revelation.  Here  are  seven  books  received  into  the  English 
Bibel,  not  received  into  the  Lutherans'  Bible.  Thus  we  per- 
ceive three  different  canons  of  scripture,  proposed  for  the 
faith  of  mankind.  If  the  Bible  alone  is  a  sufficient  guide, 
which  of  these  three  Bibles  shall  we  take?  Shall  we  take  the 
Catholic,  the  Lutheran  or  the  English  Bible?  The  Catho- 
lic Bible  contains  many  things  that  the  English  and  Lutheran 
do  not,  and  the  English  contains  many  things  that  the  Lutheran 


20  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITT 

does  not.  Which  shall  we  believe  ?  If  it  be  answered  that 
we  are  to  take  all  that  God  ever  has  revealed  and  caused  to  bs 
written,  as  our  rule  of  faith,  then  it  will  require  a  revelator 
to  bring  to' light  some  twenty  sacred  books  that  are  known 
once  to  have  existed,  but  are  not  now  to  be  found  in  either  of 
the  three  Bibles  mentioned  above.  Therefore  if  we  are  to 
take  all  of  God's  written  word  as  our  rule  of  faith,  it  will 
require  another  sacred  canon  to  be  made  out,  including  all  the 
lost  books.  This  cannot  be  done  by  a  Roman  Catholic  or 
Protestant  council,  for  tradition  will  not  supply  lost  books.  It 
is  certain  that  if  all  the  written  word  of  God  is  necessary  to 
be  a  perfect  rule  of  faith,  that  neither  Catholics  nor  Protestants 
can  have  a  perfect  rule,  for  they  have  only  a  part  of  the 
written  word  of  God.  If  it  be  said  that  a  part  is  sufficient  as 
a  rule  of  faith,  then  a  question  at  once  arises,  how  large  a 
part  will  suffice?  One  sect  will  answer,  that  part  contained 
in  the  Lutheran  Bible  is  sufficient ;  other  sects  will  say  no ; 
the  Lutheran  Bible  does  not  contain  sufficient,  but  the  Eng- 
lish" Bible  contains  enough ;  no,  answers  another  class,  the 
English  Bible  does  not  contain  enough,  but  the  Catholic 
Bible  contains  just  enough  ;  and  where  shall  we  stop?  Who 
has  light  enough  to  determine  whether  the  Catholic  Bible, 
which  contains  far  more  than  the  other  two,  has  one-tenth 
part  of  what  is  necessary  for  a  perfect  rule  of  faith?  If 
part  of  God's  word  forms  a  perfect  rule  of  faith,  I  will  ven- 
ture to  say,  ,that  there  is  not  a  ^man  living  who  is  able  to 
say  what  part  of  His  word  should  be  rejected,  and  what  part 
retained,  in  order  to  form  this  perfect  rule. 

30. — In  those  sacred  books  written  by  prophets,  seers  and 
apostles  which  have  not  descended  to  our  day,  but  which  we 
know  once  existed,  as  their  names  are  referred  to  in  scripture 
— there  may  be  many  great  and  important  doctrines  and 
ordinances  revealed  that  are  not  contained  in  our  scriptures. 
Indeed,  no  one,  without  further  revelation,  knows  whether 
even  one-hundredth  part  of  the  doctrines  and  ordinances  of 
salvation  are  contained  in  the  few  books  of  scripture  which 
have  descended  to  our  times,  how  then,  can  it  be  decided  that 
they  are  a  sufficient  guide?  May  there  not  be  some  great  and 
important  things  contained  '  %  the  book  of  Nathan  the  pro- 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  205 

phet,  and  in  the  prophecy  of  Ahijah,  and  in  the  visions  of 
Iddo  the  seer  and  in  the  book  of  Gad  the  seer?"  * 

31. — May  there  not  be  important  doctrines  contained  in 
some  of  Paul's  epistles  which  we  have  not  got?  In  the  last 
epistle'  which  Paul  wrote  from  Rome  to  the  Colossians,  he 
commanded  them,  "likewise  to  read  the  epistle  from  Lao- 
dicea."  t  In  that  which  is  commonly  called  his  first  epistle  to 
the  Corinthians,  he  says,  [Chap.  v.  9.)  "I  wrote  unto  you 
in  an  epistle. "  Where  are  these  two  epistles  which  Paul 
himself  refers  to  ?  They  are  gone.  There  may  be  in  these 
lost  epistles  doctrines  of  infinite  importance  which  we  know 
nothing  about.  That  the  Corinthians  had  been  instructed  in  a 
doctrine  which  the  whole  world  of  Christendom  are  now 
ignorant  of,  is  evident  'from  a  particular  question  which  he 
asked  them,  which  reads  as  follows :  "Else  what  shall  they  do 
which  are  baptized  for  the  dead,  if  the  dead  rise  not  at  all  ? 
Why  are  they  then  baptized  for  the  dead?"  %  This  doctrine 
of  baptism  for  the  dead  must  have  been  well  understood  by 
them,  or  Paul,  never  would  have  asked  this  question  without 
further  explanations  upon  the  subject.  Now  when,  and  in 
what  manner  was  this  doctrine  communicated  to  them?  It 
may  have  been  fully  developed  to  them  in  the  epistle  which 
he  says  that  he  had  previously  written  to  them.  This  doctrine 
may  have  been  as  important  as  baptism  to  the  living.  Does 
the  written  or  unwritten  word  of  God  with  which  Christen- 
dom are  acquainted,  inform  them  any  thing  about  how  this  cere- 
mony is  to  be  performed  ?  Does  it  inform  them  who  is  to 
officiate?  Who  is  to  be  the  candidate  in  behalf  of  the  dead? 
What  classes  of  the  dead  are  to  be  benefitted  by  it  ?  Does 
scripture  or  tradition  inform  us  in  what  particular  baptism  for 
the  dead  will  affect  them  in  the  resurrection?  Does  it  inform 
us  whether  baptism  for  the  dead  can  be  administered  in  all 
places,  or  only  in  a  baptismal  font,  in  a  temple  consecrated  for 
that  purpose?  All  these  important  questions  remain  unan- 
swered by  scripture  and  tradition.     Even  the  Catholics  them- 


* II.  Chron.  ix.  29.— I.  Chron.  xxix. 

t Colos.  iv.  16. 

X 1.  Corin.  xv.  29. 


206  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITT 

selves,  who  boast  of  scripture  and  tradition  as  their  infallible 
rule  of  faith,  cannot  and  do  not  pretend  to  decide  these  ques- 
tions of  doctrine. 

32. — The  Rev.  Dr.  Milner,  in  speaking  of  the  Catholic 
church,  says,  "She  does  not  dictate  an  exposition  of  the  whole 
Bible,  because  she  has  no  tradition  concerning  a  very  great 
proportion  of  it,  as  for  example,  concerning  the  prophecy  of 
Enoch,  quoted  by  Jude  14  ;  and  the  baptism  for  the  dead 
of  which  St.  Paul  makes  mention."  *  If  "a  very  great  pro- 
portion" of  the  Bible  cannot  be  explained  for  the  want  of 
sufficient  tradition,  then  that  "very  great  proportion"  of  the 
Bible  cannot  be  of  any  use  ;  and  that  very  small  proportion  of 
the  Bible,  which  tradition  does  explain,  must  be  a  very  imper- 
fect rule  of  faith.  For  aught  the  Catholics  know  there  may 
be  hundreds  of  millions  of  the  dead  that  will  not  attain  to  a 
first  resurrection,  because  tradition  does  not  explain  to  them 
the  necessity  of  being  baptized  for  them.  Tradition,  and  a 
small  proportion  of  scripture  that  it  explains,  are  therefore 
not  a  sufficient  guide.  If  the  Catholics  had  all  the  lost  books 
of  scripture,  and  a  perfect  tradition  of  all  the  unwritten  word 
of  Grod  that  has  been  spoken  since  the  world  began,  then  they 
would  have  a  little  more  pretext  for  holding  forth  scripture 
and  tradition  as  an  infallible  guide,  but  until  then,  they  have 
no  authority  to  preach  up  a  part  of  the  books  of  scripture, 
united  with  so  little  tradition,  as  an  infallible  rule  of  faith. 

83. — We  are  told  by  the  Catholics  "that  many,  and  very 
many  of  the  canonical  books  of  the  scripture  have  quite 
perished,  and  not  so  much  as  appeared  in  the  days  of  the  very 
ancient  fathers  ;  so  that  nothing  but  the  names  of  those  books 
are  come  unto  us. "  f  It  is  also  acknowledged  by  the  Catholics 
that  a  very  great  proportion  of  the  few  books  which  are  left 
cannot  be  explained:  it  is  further  acknowledged  that  the 
tradition  of  the  unwritten  word  is  so  limited,  that  it  does  not 
give  them  an  understanding  of  many  points  of  doctrine :  it  is 
still  further  acknowledged  that  their  church  "pretends  to  no 
new  revelation,"  but  only  to  interpret,  as  far  as  the  few  feeble 


'End  of  Controversy,"  Letter  xii.  p.  169. 
'  Question  of  Questions,"  sec.  i  7. 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  207 

glimmerings  of  tradition,  connected  with  the  very  little  scrip- 
ture which  they  profess  to  understand,  will  enable  them  to  do 
— and  yet  they  tell  us,  after  all  these  acknowledgments  that 
their  very  little  scripture  and  their  very  little  tradition,  is  an 
INFALLIBLE  RULE  OF  FAITH.  Oh,  blush  for  the  inconsisten- 
cies of  "the  mother  of  harlots  !"  Her  claims  to  infallibility 
are  blasphemy!  Oh,  how  could  the  kings  of  the  earth  and 
all  nations  have  been  so  horribly  imposed  upon !  But  they 
will  yet  take  vengeance  upon  her,  "and  shall  make  her  deso- 
late and  naked,  and  shall  eat  her  flesh  and  burn  her  with  fire," 
for  thus  hath  the  Almighty  spoken. 

84. — We  shall  now  i)roceed  to  point  out  a  thing  of  infinite 
importance,  which  is  necessary  to  the  very  existence  of  the 
Church  of  God  on  the  earth  and  yet  it  never  could  be  learned 
by  either  the  Bible  or  tradition.  It  is  this :  in  order  that  the 
true  Church  may  continue  its  existence  on  the  earth,  it  is 
necessary  that  there  should  be  kept  up  a  regular  and  constant 
succession  of  the  orders  of  the  Priesthood ;  this  is  admitted  by 
the  Catholics  ;  and  they  refer  to  upwards  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  popes  who  have  succeeded  St.  Peter,  and  to  many  tens  of 
thousands  of  bishops  who  have  succeeded  the  rest  of  the 
apostles.  Now  if  this  succession  can  really  be  proved,  then  the 
Catholics  must  be  the  only  true  and  living  church  on  the  whole 
earth,  and  all  the  Protestant  churches  are  excommunicated 
apostates ;  on  the  other  hand,  if  such  succession  does  not  exist, 
then  both  the  Catholics  and  Protestants  are  apostates  from  the 
apostolic  Church  of  Christ,  built  up  in  the  first  century.  We 
take  the  ground  that  there  has  been  no  regular  succession  of  the 
orders  of  the  Priesthood  through  the  Catholic  church. 

35. — The  first  proof  which  we  adduce  against  any  such 
regular  succession  is  the  Catholic  rule  of  faith,  namely,  ancient 
scripture  and  tradition.  What  word  of  God,  spoken  by  the 
apostles,  either  written  or  unwritten,  has  pointed  out  either  of 
the  popes  who  has  pretended  to  succeed  St.  Peter,  during  the 
last  sixteen  centuries?  We  defy  the  whole  Catholic  church  to 
bring  forward  one  word  of  ancient  scripture,  or  ancient  tradition, 
to  prove  that  the  popes  of  the  third  century,  namely,  Zephyri- 
nus,  Calixtus  I.,  Urban  I.,  Pontanius,  Anthurus,  Fabian,  etc., 
were  the  very  persons  who  should  succeed  St.  Peter ;  if  then, 


208  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITT 

neither  scripture  nor  tradition  .designated  the  persons  who 
should  hold  that  responsible  office,  how  were  the  Catholics  of 
the  third  century  to  know  that  either  of  the  above-named  per- 
sons were  the  right  ones  ?  Perhaps,  the  Catholics  may  answer 
that,  though  there  was  no  scripture  or  tradition  that  pointed 
them  out,  yet  the  church,  being  infallible,  were  able  to  know 
the  right  men.  We  reply,  that  the  Catholic  church  cannot  be 
infallible,  because  she  "pretends  to  no  revelations,"  and  as  we 
have  already  seen,  she  only  pretends  to  be  guided  in  all  her 
decisions  and  decrees  by  ancient  scripture  and  tradition  and  she 
has  no  scripture  nor  apostolic  tradition  to  tell  her  who,  among 
all  the  millions  of  the  third  century,  are  called  to  St.  Peter's 
chair;  therefore  St.  Peter's  chair  must  remain  vacated  until 
this  important  question  is  settled.  And  as  the  Catholics, 
according  to  their  own  admissions,  have  had  no  new  revelations 
for  the  long  period  of  seventeen  centuries,  therefore  St.  Peter's 
chair  must  have  remained  vacated  during  that  long  period  of 
time.  The  same  reasoning  will  apply  equally  to  every  one  of 
the  orders  of  Priesthood,  from  St.  Peter's  chair  down  to  the 
office  of  teacher  or  deacon.  Scripture  and  tradition  call  no 
man  by  name  who  has  lived  during  the  last  sixteen  centuries ; 
therefore  the  succession  could  not  possibly  continue,  as  there 
could  be  no  possible  way  of  finding  out  who  were  called 
and  who  were  not,  unless  they  obtained  new  revelation,  and 
this  would  contradict  what  we  have  abundantly  proved  to  be 
their  rule  of  faith ;  therefore  it  is  proved  by  the  most  incon- 
trovertible evidence  that  the  succession  of  the  Priesthood 
could  not  legally  and  lawfully  be  transferred  where  there  is  no 
new  revelation. 

36. — The  second  proof  against  the  Catholic  succession  is 
that  through  ancient  scripture  and  tradition  alone,  it  would  be 
impossible  for  the  pretended  successors  of  St.  Peter  and  the 
rest  of  the  apostles  to  exercise  the  functions  of  their  office. 
One  of  the  chief  duties  of  the  apostles  was  to  receive  com- 
mandments and  new  revelations  for  the  instruction  of  them- 
selves and  all  the  Church  of  God  placed  under  their  charge  ; 
and  one  of  the  chief  duties  of  a  prophet  in  the  Christian 
church  was  to  foretell  future  events  through  new  revelation, 
and  forewarn  individuals  as  well  as  the  church  of  any  approach- 


OF  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  209 

ing  danger.  That  these  prophets  prophesied  by  new  revelation 
is  clear  from  the  following  plain  passages  of  scripture,  written 
to  the  Corinthians.  "How  is  it  then,  brethren,  when  ye  come 
together  every  one  of  you  hath  a  psalm,  hath  a  doctrine,  hath 
a  tongue,  hath  a  revelation,  hath  an  interpretation  ?' '  ( Chap. 
XIV.  26.)  Again,  St.  Paul  says  to  them,  ''Let  the  prophets 
speak  two  or  three,  and  let  the  other  judge.  If  any  thing  he 
REVEALED  to  another  that  sitteth  by,  let  the  first  hold  his 
peace.  For  ye  may  all  prophesy  one  by  one,  that  all  may  learn, 
and  all  may  be  comforted.  And  the  spirit  of  the  prophets  is 
subject  to  the  prophets.  For  Grod  is  not  the  author  of  confu- 
sion but  of  peace,  as  in  all  Churches  of  the  Saints."  (  Verses 
29-33.)  Agabus  the  prophet  prophesied  of  a  famine  and  the 
Church,  being  forewarned,  made  every  preparation  to  meet  it, 
by  sending  contributions  to  the  poor  saints  in  other  places  and 
thus,  doubtless,  much  suffering  and  misery  were  prevented. 
We  can  here  plainly  perceive  the  principal  duties  of  the  two 
first  offices  in  the  Christian  church.  Now  if  the  Catholics  have 
a  succession  of  these  offices,  they  must  exercise  the  functions 
of  them,  otherwise  the  offices  would  be  of  no  benefit.  But 
they  cannot  exercise  the  functions  and  perform  the  chief  duties 
of  these  offices,  unless  they  obtain  an  abundance  of  new  revela- 
tion and  prophecies  and  this  they  could  not  do  without  violat- 
ing their  own  rule  of  faith,  which  binds  them  to  ancient  scrip- 
ture and  ancient  tradition  as  their  only  guide.  Moreover  the 
Catholics  themselves  virtually  acknowledge  that  none  of  their 
pretended  successors  of  the  apostolical  and  prophetical  offices, 
have  received  any  revelations  and  prophecies  from  the  fact  that 
they  have  not  admitted  any  of  them  into  the  sacred  canon  of  scrip- 
ture. Thus  wo  see  that  ancient  scripture  and  tradition,  inter- 
preted by  the  Catholic  church,  which  they  acknowledge  to  be 
i  their  only  rule  of  faith,  can  never  qualify  their  pretended  suc- 
p  cessors  to  act  in  the  apostolical  and  prophetical  offices.  And 
hence,  those  offices  have  not  been  and  could  not  be  perpetuated 
in  the  Catholic  church.  And,  therefore,  the  Catholic  church 
fe;;  cannot  possibly  be  the  Church  of  Christ. 
B  37. — But  if  the  Catholic  church  cannot  be  the  Church  of 
K^    Christ  for  the  want  of  a  legal  succession  of  the  apostolical  and 


210  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITT 

tants  cannot  be  the  Church  of  Christ  for  the  same  reason,  unless 
God  has  restored  the  Priesthood  to  them  by  a  new  revelation  and 
an  authoritative  ordination.  But  the  Protestant  daughters,  as 
well  as  the  Catholic  mother,  make  no  pretension  to  new  revela- 
tion as  is  demonstrated  from  the  fact  of  their  admitting  no  more 
into  the  sacred  canon  of  scripture.  Therefore,  neither  the  Pro- 
testant nor  Catholic  churches,  can  possibly  be  the  Church  of 
Christ. 

38. — The  same  reasons  that  demonstrate  the  Catholic  and 
Protestant  churches  not  to  be  the  Church  of  Christ,  will  also 
demonstrate  that  the  Grreek  church  is  not  the  Church  of  Christ; 
therefore  the  Church  of  Christ  has  not  existed  on  the  eastern 
hemisphere  during  the  last  seventeen  centuries.  We  shall  now 
proceed  to  answer  some  objections. 

39. — First,  it  is  objected,  that  the  promise  of  the  Savior, 
recorded  in  Matthew  xxviii.  16,  17,  18,  19,  20,  could  not  be 
fullfiUed  unless  the  Church  should  continue  its  existence  on  the 
earth.  These  passages  read  thus  : — "Then  the  eleven  disciples 
went  away  into  Galilee,  into  a  mountain  where  Jesus  had 
appointed  them.  And  when  they  saw  Him,  they  worshiped 
Him  ;  but  some  doubted.  And  Jesus  came  and  spake  unto 
them,  saying.  All  power  is  given  'unto  me  in  heaven  and  in 
earth.  Go  ye  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have 
commanded  you;  and,  lo,  I  am  with  you  always^  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world.''  It  is  argued  by  the  Catholics,  "that  the 
apostles  themselves  were  only  to  live  the  ordinary  term  of  man's 
life ;  therefore,  the  commission  of  preaching  and  ministering, 
together,  with  the  promise  of  the  divine  assistance,  regards 
the  successors  of  the  apostles,  no  less  than  the  apostles  them- 
selves. This  proves  that  there  must  have  been  an  uninter- 
rupted series  of  such  successors  of  the  apostles,  in  every  age 
since  their  time ;  that  is  to  say,  successors  to  their  doctrine^  to 
their  jurisdiction,  to  their  orders  and  to  their  mission.  Hence 
it  follows,  that  no  religious  society  whatever,  which  cannot  trace 
its  succession  in  these  four  points,  up  to  the  apostles,  has  any 
claim  to  the  characteristic  title,  apostolical.  ' '  This  argu- 
ment I  have  given  in  the  words  of  one  of  their  learned  bishops. 


OF  TttE  BOOK  Of  MORMON.  211 

the  Right  Reverend  Doctor  Milner.  *  Now  if  it  were  admitted, 
that  this  commission  and  promise  of  our  Savior  were  intended 
for  the  successors  of  the  apostles,  (which  we  by  no  means  admit) 
it  would  still  be  out  of  the  power  of  the  Catholic  priests  to 
claim  the  commission  and  promise  until  they  could  prove  from 
scripture  and  tradition  that  each  one  of  them  were  the  actual 
persons  who  were  to  be  the  true  successors ;  and  this,  we  have 
already  shown  they  cannot  do.  Therefore,  they  have  no  more 
claim  to  the  commission  and  promise  than  the  Pagan  priests 
have.     But  we  do  not  admit  that  the  promise — "lo,  i  am  with 

YOU  ALWAYS,  EVEN  UNTO  THE  END  OF  THE  WORLD,"  had 

any  reference  to  any  persons  whatever  only  the  eleven  dis- 
ciples mentioned  in  the  sixteenth  verse,  who  had,  by  a  previous 
engagement,  retired  to  a  mountain  in  Galilee  :  they  were  the 
only  persons  whom  He  addressed  and  to  whom  He  made  this 
great  promise.  But,  says  Doctor  Milner,  "They  were  only  to 
live  the  ordinary  term  of  man's  life,"  and  consequently,  he 
draws  the  conclusion  that  the  promise  could  not  be  fulfilled  to 
them  without  successors.  According  to  this  curious  inference 
of  the  learned  bishop,  the  Lord  must  have  forsaken  the  eleven 
disciples  as  soon  as  they  died ;  for  if  he  admits  that  Jesus  con- 
tinued with  them  after  the  period  of  the  death  of  their  mortal 
bodies,  and  that  He  will  continue  with  them  even  unto  the  end 
of  the  world,  then  what  need  would  there  be  of  successors  in 
order  that  the  promise  might  be  fulfilled  ?  Prove  that  Jesus 
has  not  been  with  the  eleven  apostles  from  the  time  of  their 
death  until  the  present  time,  and  that  He  will  not  be  with  them 
"even  unto  the  end  of  the  world,"  and  after  you  have  proved 
this,  you  will  prove  that  Jesus  has  falsified  His  word  ;  for  to 
be  with  the  successors  of  the  apostles  is  not  to  be  with  them. 
But  whether  the  apostles  have  successors  or  not,  Jesus  will 
always  be  with  them,  and  will  bring  them  with  Him  when  He 
shall  appear  in  His  glory  and  they  shall  sit  upon  thrones  and 
judge  the  house  of  Israel,  during  the  great  millennium,  while 
Jesus  will  not  only  be  with  them,  but  will  reign  with  them  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world.  Therefore,  there  is  nothing  in  this 
promise  of  Jesus  that  gives  the  most  distant  intimation  that  an 


-"End  of  Controversy,"  Letter  xxviii.  p.  281. 


212  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

apostolical  succession  or  Cliurcli  of  Christ  should  continue  on 
the  earth. 

40. — Secondly,  it  is  objected  that  if  the  Church  of  Christ  has 
not  continued,  then  the  gates  of  hell  must  have  prevailed  against 
her ;  and  they  refer  us  to  that  cheering  passage  in  Matthew, 
(xvi.  18,)  which  reads  thus : — "And  I  say  also  unto  thee,  that 
thou  art  Peter  ;  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church, 
and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it. ' '  They  argue, 
that  if  the  Church  has  ceased  to  exist,  the  gates  of  hell  have 
prevailed  over  her  and  the  promise  of  Jesus  must  be  falsified. 
But  we  would  inform  the  Catholics,  that  the  Church  of  Christ 
has  not  ceased  to  exist,  neither  has  Peter  ceased  his  existence, 
but  both  the  Church  and  Peter  are  in  heaven,  far  out  of  the 
reach  of  the  gates  of  hell,  and  far  out  of  the  reach  of  the 
abominable  soul-destroying  impositions  of  popery.  The  gates 
of  hell  have  prevailed  and  will  continue  to  prevail  over  the 
Catholic  mother  of  harlots,  and  over  all  her  Protestant 
daughters ;  but  as  for  the  apostolical  Church  of  Christ,  she 
rests  secure  in  the  mansions  of  eternal  happiness,  where  she 
will  remain  until  the  apostate  Catholic  church,  with  all  her 
popes  and  bishops,  together  with  all  her  harlot  daughters  shall 
be  hurled  down  to  hell;  then  it  shall  be  said,  "Rejoice  over 
her  thou  heaven,  and  ye  holy  apostles  and  prophets ;  for  God 
hath  avenged  you  on  her;"  and  then  shall  be  "heard  a  great 
voice  of  much  people  in  heaven,  saying,  Alleluia :  salvation, 
and  glory,  and  honor,  and  power,  unto  the  Lord  our  Grod ;  for 
true  the  righteous  are  his  judgments:  for  he  hath  judged  the 
great  whore,  which  did  corrupt  the  earth  with  her  fornication, 
and  hath  avenged  the  blood  of  his  servants  at  her  hand."  And 
again  they  shall  say,  "Alleluia,"  and  her  smoke  shall  rise  up 
for  ever  and  ever.  And  thus  when  the  Catholics  and  Protest- 
ants hear  all  the  heavens,  and  all  the  holy  apostles  and  proph- 
ets, rejoicing  over  the  downfall  of  Babylon,  they  will  learn  that 
the  Church  of  Christ  still  exists  in  heaven  and  that  the  gates 
of  hell  have  not  prevailed  against  her;  then  they  will  learn 
where  the  apostolical  and  prophetical  power  rests ;  then  they 
will  perceive  the  difference  between  the  glory  of  the  Church  of 
Christ  and  the  misery  and  wretchedness  of  their  own  fiery  tor- 
ments. 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  213 

41. — Many  Protestants  say  they  take  the  Bible  as  their  only 
rule  of  faith;  if  the  Bible  is  to  be  taken  as  our  only  guide,  it 
is  of  infinite  importance  that  the  divine  authenticity  of  the 
Bible  be  infallibly  established.  How  do  the  Protestants  prove 
the  truth  of  the  Bible?  What  evidence  have  they  that  the 
book  of  Matthew  was  inspired  of  God,  or  any  other  of  the 
books  of  the  New  Testament?  The  only  evidence  they  have  is 
tradition.  They  have  received  into  their  canon  such  books 
only  as  tradition  accredits  to  be  genuine ;  while  those  books 
which  have  not  a  sufficiency  of  tradition  to  establish  their 
divine  inspiration,  are  rejected  from  the  canon.  Here  then  we 
clearly  perceive  that  the  first  foundation  stone  of  the  Protest- 
ant rule  of  faith  is  tradition.  Tradition  alone  tells  them  that 
the  books  of  the  New  Testament  are  true  and  as  soon  as  they 
have  learned  this  on  the  testimony  of  tradition,  they  take  them 
as  a  sufficient  guide ;  hence  their  only  rule  of  faith  is  founded 
on  tradition ;  but  we  have  already  shown  that  tradition  is  a 
very  imperfect  guide.  Tradition  taught  the  Lutherans  to 
reject  seven  hooks  oi  the  New  Testament,  which  tradition  taught 
the  English  to  receive  :  and  tradition  taught  the  English  to 
reject  some  half  a  score  of  books  from  their  Bible,  which  tra- 
dition taught  the  Catholics  in  the  third  council  of  Carthage  to 
receive;  and  tradition  taught  the  council  of  Carthage  to  reject 
many  books  which  tradition  taught  several  of  their  learned 
bishops  and  others,  in  the  second,  third  and  fourth  centuries 
to  receive.  If  tradition  then  be  so  very  uncertain,  may  it  not 
have  deceived  the  Catholics  and  Protestants  as  to  the  genuine- 
ness of  many  of  the  books  which  they  retain  in  their  canons? 
And  may  not  this  very  imperfect  tradition  have  taught  them 
to  reject  many  books  which  are  equally  sacred  with  those  which 
they  have  retained?  Tradition  cannot  give  an  absolute  cer- 
tainty as  to  the  truth  of  any  of  those  books.  Great  numbers 
of  books,  during  the  early  ages,  were  circulated  and  accredited, 
which  are  now  said  to  be  apochryphal.  But  how,  we  enquire, 
are  uninspired  men,  by  the  use  of  tradition  alone,  to  select  a 
genuine  book  from  the  midst  of  a  numerous  collection  of  spur- 
ious gospels,  and  epistles,  and  prophecies,  which  were  pubhshed 
under  the  names  of  the  apostles  and  under  the  names  of  other 
holy  men  cotemporary  with  them  ?    It  would  be  Hke  the  chance 


214  DIVINE  AtTTHENTIClT^ 

of  drawing  a  prize  in  a  lottery  where  there  wete  a  hundred 
blanks  to  one  prize.  Absolute  certainty  is  necessary  as  to  what 
is  true  and  what  is  false,  as  to  what  is  the  word  of  God  and 
what  is  not ;  for  without  it  we  may  build  our  faith  upon  forged 
scripture  aud  reject  true  scripture  and  be  led  into  all  kinds  of 
error.  As  tradition  cannot  give  us  absolute  certainty,  how  shall 
this  very  desirable  and  infinitely  important  knowledge  be 
obtained  ?  We  answer,  that  by  new  revelation  the  genuineness 
of  all  books  can  be  tested ;  and  without  it,  uncertainty  and 
doubt  must  always  hang  over  many  of  them. 

42.— Even  though  tradition  could  demonstrate  with  the 
greatest  certainty  that  any  or  all  of  the  books  that  are  even 
received  by  the  Catholics,  were,  in  their  original  written  by  the 
persons  who  are  represented  to  be  their  authors,  yet  how  can 
it  be  determined  that  even  the  originals  were  written  by  divine 
inspiration?  Several  learned  Protestants,  such  as  Hooker, 
Chillingworth,  etc. ,  allow  that  scripture  cannot  bear  testimony 
to  the  truth  of  its  own  inspiration.  How  are  the  Protestants 
then  to  know  without  new  revelation,  that  any  one  book  of  the 
Bible  was  divinely  inspired?  How  do  they  know  but  that  it 
was  merely  written  according  to  the  best  judgment  of  the 
author?  The  Bible  cannot  inform  them  until  the  inspiration  of 
the  Bible  is  established.  If  it  be  admitted  that  the  apostles 
and  evangelists  did  write  the  books  of  the  New  Testament, 
that  does  not  prove  of  itself  that  they  were  divinely  inspired 
at  the  time  they  wrote.  They  were  men  subject  to  like  passions 
with  other  men,  and  liable  to  err  only  when  under  the  direct 
inspiration  of  the  Spirit.  How  can  it  be  known  without  new 
revelation,  that  these  writers  did  not  sometimes  write  their  own 
words  and  opinions  instead  of  the  word  of  the  Lord  as  given 
by  the  Holy  Grhost?  Some  things  which  Paul  wrote,  he 
acknowledges  that  he  had  no  commandment  of  the  Lord  for 
thus  writing,  but  gave  his  own  judgment  and  his  own  supposi- 
tions. [See  I.  Corinth,  vii  6,  25,  26.)  As  Paul  and  other  writers 
of  the  New  Testament  have  not  told  us  which  part  they  wrote 
by  inspiration  and  which  part  they  wrote  according  to  their  own 
opinions  and  judgment,  how  can  we  make  the  selection  of  the 
inspired  parts  from  the  uninspired  parts  of  each  book?  We 
answer,  that  tradition  will  never  decide  this  important  ques- 


OF  THE  BOOK  OP   MORMON.  215 

tion  ;  and  therefore  neither  Catholics  nor  Protestants  can  know 
of  a  certainty  which  parts  of  each  of  the  original  books  are  act- 
ually the  ideas  and  words  given  by  inspiration.  Neither  can 
they  know  but  that  some  whole  books  which  they  receive  as 
scripture  were  written  by  human  wisdom  alone.  Though  scrip- 
ture were  allowed  to  bear  testimony  of  its  own  inspiration,  even 
then,  there  are  many  books  in  the  sacred  canon  which  do  not 
bear  any  such  testimony  and  therefore  the  only  proof  which 
Protestants  can  have  of  their  inspiration  is  founded  solely  on 
tradition. 

43. — If  it  could  still  further  be  demonstrated  by  tradition, 
that  every  part  of  each  book  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments, 
was,  in  its  original,  actually  written  by  inspiration,  still  it  can- 
not be  determined  that  there  is  one  single  true  copy  of  those 
originals  now  in  existence.  The  whole  Catholic  and  Protestant 
world  cannot  produce  the  original  writings  of  one  single  book 
of  either  the  Old  or  New  Testament.  The  originals  are  no 
where  to  be  found  among  Christians,  Pagans,  Jews  or  Mahom- 
etans. The  original  writings  of  Moses  and  the  ancient  proph- 
ets, it  is  believed  by  the  learned,  were  all  destroyed  by  the 
Assyrians  nearly  six  hundred  years  before  Christ.  ^  We  are 
informed  in  the  Apocrypha,  that  the  Prophet  Esdras  or  Ezra 
was  inspired  to  re-write  all  those  ancient  books  over  again  ;  and 
in  this  manner  the  Jews,  at  the  close  of  their  Babylonish  cap- 
tivity, once  more  obtained  them.  These  books  again  perished 
in  the  great  persecution  of  Antiochus.  f  How  the  Jews  were 
supplied  with  copies  after  that  no  one  knows.  Now  the 
Protestnnts  do  not  know  that  Esdras  was  a  true  prophet. 
Indeed,  they  doubt  of  his  being  a  true  prophet  by  placing  his 
books  in  the  Apocrypha,  therefore  they  could  not  rely  with 
confidence  on  any  book  which  he  should  pretend  to  replace  by 
inspiration. 

44.  — The  copies  which  we  now  have  of  the  books  of  Moses  and 
other  ancient  prophets  may  be  very  much  corrupted;  we  are  cer- 
tain that  they  have  been  added  -unto  in  a  degree  by  some  person 
or  persons  who  lived  many  centuries  after  Moses ;  this  is  evident 


-Brett's  Dissertation  in  Bishop  Watson's  Collect.  Vol.  iii.  p.  5. 
-Brett's  Dissertation  in  Bishop  Watson's  Collect.,  Vol.  iii.  p.  5. 


9* 


51 B  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

from  the  books  themselves:  for  example,  the  thirty-first  verse 
of  the  thirty-sixth  chapter  of  Genesis  was  certainly  added  by 
some  one  who  lived  after  the  children  of  Israel  had  kings.  It 
reads  thus  :  "And  these  are  the  kings  that  reigned  in  the  land 
of  Edom,  before  there  reigned  any  king  over  the  children  of 
Israel."  Here  is  positive  proof  that  the  transcriber  of  the 
book  of  Genesis  lived  after  the  children  of  Israel  had  kings, 
and  added  these  his  own  words  to  this  first  book  of  Moses.  Some 
other  person  after  the  days  of  Moses  added  the  whole  of  the 
last  chapter  of  the  book  of  Deuteronomy.  Several  other  pas- 
sages in  the  books  of  Moses  have  been  added  or  changed  since 
his  death.  Learned  commentators*  have  agreed  that  similar 
changes  or  additions  have  been  made  to  several  other  books  of 
the  Old  Testament  by  unknown  persons.  Who  can  tell  at  the 
present  day  who  were  the  persons  who  wrote  the  books  of 
Joshua,  Ruth,  Judges,  Esther,  the  book  of  Kings  and  the 
book  of  Chronicles  ?  Were  they  written  by  inspired  men  ?  If 
so,  what  were  their  names,  and  what  proofs  has  Christendom 
that  they  were  inspired  ? 

45. — These  uncertain  and  altered  copies  of  some  of  the 
books  of  the  Old  Testament  were  translated  from  the  Hebrew 
into  Greek  some  two  or  three  centuries  before  Christ;  this  was 
called  the  Septuagint,  But  even  the  original  copies  of  this 
translation  are  nowhere  to  be  found.  Such  copies  as  the 
English  translation  was  taken  from,  were  found  in  many  places 
to  be  very  much  corrupted,  disagreeing  among  themselves, 
insomuch  that  the  English  translators  were  obliged  sometimes 
to  translate  from  the  Hebrew  which  is  acknowledged  also  to 
be  very  much  corrupted.  The  Hebrew  copies  are  supposed 
by  the  learned  to  have  been  altered  by  the  wicked  Jews  them- 
selves, after  they  rejected  Christ,  in  order  to  do  away  the  force 
of  many  predictions  relating  to  Him.  St.  Chrysostom  [Homily 
9)  writes  thus:  "Many  of  the  prophetical  monuments  have 
perished ;  for  the  Jews  being  careless,  and  not  only  careless, 
but  also  impious,  they  have  carelessly  lost  some  of  these  mon- 
uments; others  they  have  partly  burned,  partly  torn  in 
pieces."     St.  Justin,  in  writing  against  Tryphon,  shows  most 

* Bonfrerius,  Torniellus. 


OP  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  217 

clearly  that  the  Jews  did  destroy  many  books  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment '  that  the  new  might  not  seem  to  agree  with  it  as  it  should. ' ' 
What  confidence,  then,  can  Catholics  or  Protestants  have  in 
these  half-destroyed,  corrupted,  mutilated  Hebrew  manu- 
scripts? The  oldest  copies  of  the  Old  Testament,  whether 
Hebrew  or  Greek,  which  the  English  translators  could  procure, 
disagree  with  each  other  in  many — very  many  places;  so  much 
so,  that  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  decide  which  was 
correct.  Indeed  so  much  corruption  in  the  old  manuscript 
copies  was  calculated  to  throw  a  mist  of  darkness  and  uncer- 
tainty over  the  whole  of  them.  One  of  the  ancient  writers, 
Jerome,  in  his  commentaries  upon  the  prophets,  complains  of 
the  corruption  of  his  manuscript  Greek  copies.  Bellarmine 
testifies  that  the  Greek  copies  of  the  Old  Testament  are  so  cor- 
rupted, that  they  seem  to  make  a  new  translation,  quite  difi'er- 
ent  from  the  translations  of  other  copies.  All,  therefore,  is 
uncertainty  as  to  the  Hebrew  and  Greek  manuscripts  of  the 
Old  Testament ;  they  can  be  proved  to  be  changed,  added  unto 
and  corrupted  in  almost  every  text. 

46. — It  is  abundantly  proved  by  various  learned  writers,  that 
the  Greek  copies  of  the  New  Testament  are  awfully  corrupted 
in  almost  every  text.  Mr.  Cressy  writes  in  these  words,  "In 
my  hearing.  Bishop  Usher  professed,  that  whereas  he  had  of 
many  years  before  a  desire  to  publish  the  New  Testament  in 
Greek,  with  various  lections  and  annotations:  and  for  that 
purpose  he  used  great  diligence,  and  spent  money  to  furnish 
himself  with  manuscripts :  yet,  in  conclusion,  he  was  forced  to 
desist  utterly,  lest,  if  he  should  ingeniously  have  noted  all  the 
several  difi'erences  of  reading  which  he  himself  had  collected,  (he 
incredible  multitude  of  them  almost  in  every  verse,  should  rather 
have  made  men  atheistical,  than  satisfy  them  in  the  true  read- 
ing of  any  particular  passage. ' '  *  Let  those  who  take  the 
Bible  for  their  only  guide  think  of  this.  If  the  few  manu- 
scripts procured  by  Bishop  Usher,  contains  in  almost  every 
verse  "an  incredible  multitude  of  difi"erent  readings,"  what 
grounds  have  Protestants  for  confidence  in  one  of  these  read- 
ings more  than  in  another?  Out  of  a  thousand  different  manu- 

* ^Exomol.  Ca.  8,  Nu.  3. 


218  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITT 

scripts,  diiFering  in  almost  every  text,  who  can  select  the  true 
one  ?  Indeed,  there  would  be  an  almost  infinite  improbability 
as  to  any  one  copy  being  true.  Now,  it  was  from  such  a  mass 
of  contradictory  Greek  manuscripts  that  the  English  New  Tes- 
tament was  translated. 

47. — But  to  say  nothing  of  the  incredible  multitude  of  diiFer- 
ent  readings  in  the  Greek  manuscripts  themselves,  the  transla- 
tors from  these  old  manuscripts  are  liable  to  commit  many 
errors,  as  is  evident  from  the  vast  number  of  very  different  transla  - 
tions  which  have  been  made.  There  is  no  two  translations  that 
agree.  This  then  is  another  prolific  source  of  error  which  is 
calculated  to  throw  still  greater  uncertainty  over  the  present 
copies  of  the  scriptures. 

48. — What  shall  wc  say  then,  concerning  the  Bible's  being  a 
sufiicient  guide?  Can  we  rely  upon  it  in  its  present  known  cor- 
rupted state,  as  being  a  faithful  record  of  God's  word?  We 
all  know  that  but  a  few  of  the  inspired  writings  have  descended 
to  our  times,  which  few  quote  the  names  of  some  twenty  other 
books  which  are  lost,  and  it  is  quite  certain  that  there  were 
many  other  inspired  books  that  even  the  names  have  not 
reached  us.*  What  few  have  come  down  to  our  day,  have  been 
mutilated,  changed  and  corrupted,  in  such  a  shameful  manner 
that  no  two  manuscripts  agree.  Verses  and  even  whole  chap- 
ters have  been  added  by  unknown  persons ;  and  even  we  do  not 
know  the  authors  of  some  whole  books ;  and  we  are  not  certain 
that  all  those  which  we  do  know,  were  wrote  by  inspiration.  Add 
all  this  imperfection  to  the  uncertainty  of  the  translation ,  and  who, 
in  hisrightmind,  could,  for  one  moment,  suppose  the  Bible  in  its 
present  form  to  be  a  perfect  guide?  Who  knows  that  even  one 
verse  of  the  whole  Bible  has  escaped  pollution,  so  as  to  convey 
the  same  sense  now  that  it  did  in  the  original  ?  Who  knows  how 
many  important  doctrines  and  ordinances  necessary  to  salvation 
may  be  buried  in  oblivion  in  some  of  the  lost  books  ?  Who 
knows  that  even  the  ordinances  and  doctrine  that  seem  to  be 
set  forth  in  the  present  English  Bible,  are  anything  like  the 
orginal?  The  Catholics  and  Protestants  do  not  know,  because 
tradition  is  too  imperfect  to  give  this  knowledge.    There  can 

* ^Esdras  speaks  of  a  great  number  of  books  which  we  have  not  got. 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  219 

be  no  certainty  as  to  the  contents  of  the  inspired  writings  until 
God  shall  inspire  some  one  to  re-write  all  those  books  over 
again,  as  he  did  Esdras  in  ancient  times.  There  is  no  possible 
means  of  arriving  at  certainty  any  other  way.  No  reflecting 
man  can  deny  the  necessity  of  such  a  new  revelation. 

49. — We  now  appeal  to  the  honesty,  good  sense  and  learning 
of  all  good,  moral  men,  to  testify  their  convictions  in  regard 
to  the  insufficiency  of  their  rules  of  faith.  Is  there  a  man 
among  you  who  has  candidly  examined  the  present  confused, 
divided,  distracted  state  of  all  Christendom,  who  is  not 
thoroughly  convinced  that  something  is  radically  wrong?  Many 
of  you,  no  doubt,  have,  in  your  serious  reflecting  moments, 
looked  upon  the  bewildered,  blind,  cold,  formal,  powerless 
systems  of  religion  with  which  you  were  surrounded  with  feel- 
ings of  sorrow  and  disgust.  You  have  wished  to  know  the 
truth,  but  alas,  wherever  you  have  turned  your  investigations, 
darkness  and  uncertainty  have  stared  you  in  the  face.  The  voices 
of  several  hundred  jarring,  contending,  soul-sickening  sects, 
were  constantly  sounding  in  your  ears ;  each  one  professing  to 
be  built  upon  the  Bible,  and  yet  each  one  diff'ering  from  all 
the  rest.  Under  this  confused  state  of  things,  you  have,  per- 
adventure,  involuntarily  exclaimed :  can  the  Bible  be  the  word 
of  God  ?  Would  God  reveal  a  system  of  religion  expressed  in 
such  indefinite  terms  that  a  thousand  difl'erent  religions  should 
grow  out  of  it?  Has  God  revealed  the  system  of  salvation  in 
such  vague  uncertain  language  on  purpos3  to  delight  Him- 
self with  the  quarrels  and  contentions  of  His  creatures 
in  relation  to  it?  Would  God  think  so  much  of  fallen 
men,  that  He  would  give  His  Only  Begotten  Son  to  die  for 
them,  and  then  reveal  His  doctrine  to  them  in  a  language  alto- 
gether ambiguous  and  uncertain  ?  Such  questions,  doubtless, 
have  passed  through  the  mind  of  many  a  religiously-inclined 
person.  Millions  have  been  sensible  of  the  midnight  dark- 
ness, but  have  not  known  the  true  cause ;  they  have  acknowl- 
edged that  they  could  not  understand  a  very  great  proporticm 
of  the  Bible,  yet  they  have  believed  it  to  be  the  word  of  God  ; 
they  have  wondered  that  the  Bible  should  be  their  only  rule 
of  faith,  and  yet  so  few  be  able  to  understand  it  alike.  Many 
seeing  the  contradictions,  the  vagueness,  and  the  uncertainty 


220  DIVINE  AUTHENnCrtT 

of  all  modern  religions,  professing  to  have  emanated  from  the 
same  God,  have  been  so  disgusted  that  they  have  renounced 
the  Bible  as  a  fable  invented  by  priestcraft ;  others,  fearing  to 
do  this,  have  pored  over  whole  libraries  of  uninspired  com- 
mentaries, seeking  after  the  true  meaning  of  that  which  they 
believe  Grod  has  revealed;  and  at  last,  finding  the  learned 
commentators  as  widely  disagreed  as  the  sects  themselves,  they 
have  concluded  that  the  Bible  is  a  great  mystery  and  that  Grod 
did  not  intend  to  have  it  understood  when  He  revealed  it. 
Others  still  having  a  little  more  perseverance,  and  believing 
that  Grod  would  not  send  a  revelation  which  He  did  not  wish 
the  people  to  understand,  have  with  great  diligence  collected 
vast  numbers  of  the  most  ancient  Grreek  and  Hebrew  manu- 
scripts of  the  sacred  books,  but  here  they  find  themselves 
utterly  confounded :  these  ancient  manuscripts,  which  they  had 
hopes  would  reveal  the  truth,  are  perverted  and  corrupted  in 
almost  every  text,  so  that  they  find  '  'an  incredible  number  of 
different  readings"  on  every  page  and  almost  every  sentence. 
From  this  heterogeneous  mass  of  contradictory  manuscripts 
they  give  an  English  translation,  and  call  it  the  Bible ;  thus 
leaving  millions  to  guess  out  the  true  meaning  and  quarrel, 
and  contend  with  each  other  because  they  do  not  guess 
alike. 

50. — ^The  true  cause  of  all  the  divisions  which  distract 
modern  Christendom  is  the  want  of  inspired  apostles  and  pro- 
phets :  they  through  wickedness  and  apostasy,  lost  the  key  of 
revelation  some  seventeen  centuries  ago,  since  which  time  they 
have  been  altogether  unable  to  open  the  door  of  knowledge. 
Satan  has  taken  the  advantage  of  their  dark  and  benighted 
condition,  and  robbed  the  world  of  a  great  number  of  sacred 
books,  corrupting  those  few  that  remained  to  such  a  degree, 
that  he  has  got  the  whole  of  Christendom  quarreling  about 
their  true  meaning.  This  pleases  him  :  he  cares  not  how  much 
they  contend  and  fight  about  religion  as  long  as  he  knows  that 
their  religion  is  false :  neither  does  he  care  how  much  they  are 
united  about  religion,  as  long  as  he  knows  that  it  is  not  of  the 
right  kind.  He  can  tolerate,  and,  indeed,  help  his  reverend 
ministers  to  promulgate  all  kinds  of  religion,  except  that  which 
has  true  prophets  and  revelators  in  it:  no  other  kind  of  reli- 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  221 

gion  displeases  him.  But  for  a  prophet  or  revelator  to  estab- 
lish a  religion  on  the  earth,  is  more  than  he  can  quietly  put 
up  with ;  it  strikes  a  death  blow  to  all  that  he  has  been  doing 
since  the  great  apostasy.  He  is  exceedingly  frightened,  lest 
some  of  the  old  lost  books  of  the  ancient  prophets  and  apos- 
tles should  be  again  revealed.  He  is  also  raving  mad,  lest  the 
books  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  should  be  revealed 
again  anew  in  their  purity  as  at  jSrst — lest  every  point  of 
Christ's  doctrine  should  be  again  revealed  in  such  plain, 
definite  and  positive  language,  that  no  two  persons  could  pos- 
sibly disagree  upon  it.  This  would  be  exceedingly  dangerous 
to  his  kingdom ;  no  wonder  then,  that  he  should  be  full  of 
wrath !  But  the  sincere,  honest,  humble  seeker  after  truth, 
must  have  the  privilege  of  finding  it,  and  that,  too,  in  the 
greatest  of  plainness,  before  the  overthrow  of  all  nations,  that 
they,  by  embracing  it,  may  escape  the  judgments  of  great 
Babylon.  Yes !  the  day  is  come  and  the  time  is  at  hand  when 
all  nations  are  to  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord  by  the  mouth  of 
his  chosen  apostles  and  prophets  to  whom  He  hath  restored 
the  key  of  revelation  for  the  last  time,  and  for  the  dispensa- 
tion of  the  fullness  of  times,  that  all  things  may  be  prepared 
and  sealed  unto  the  end  of  all  things,  against  the  day  of  rest 
for  the  meek  of  the  earth. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

EVIDENCES   OF  THE  BOOK  *0P  MORMON  AND  BIBLE 
COMPARED. 

1. — ^The  Book  of  Mormon  claims  to  be  the  sacred  history  of 
ancient  America,  written  by  a  succession  of  ancient  prophets, 
who  inhabited  that  vast  continent.  The  plates  of  gold,  con- 
taining this  history,  were  discovered  by  a  young  man,  named 
Joseph  Smith,  through  the  ministry  of  a  holy  angel,  on  the 
evening  and  morning  of  the  21st  and  22nd  of  September,  A. 
D.  1823.    Four  years  after  their  discovery,  or  on  the  morning 


222  DIVINE  ATTTHENTICITT 

of  the  22nd  of  September,  1827,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  per- 
mitted Mr.  Smith  to  take  these  sacred  records  from  the  place 
of  their  deposit.  The  hill  in  which  they  were  found  buried,  is 
situated  in  the  town  of  Manchester,  Ontario  county,  state  of 
New  York.  With  the  plates  were  also  found  a  Urim  and 
Thummim,  Each  plate  was  not  far  from  seven  by  eight 
inches  in  width  and  length,  being  not  quite  as  thick  as  com- 
mon tin.  Each  was  filled  on  both  sides  with  engraved  Egyp- 
tian characters;  and  the  whole  were  bound  together  in  a 
volume,  as  the  leaves  of  a  book,  and  fastened  at  one  edge  with 
three  rings  running  through  each.  This  volume  was  some- 
thing near  six  inches  in  thickness,  a  part  of  which  was  sealed. 
The  characters  or  letters  upon  the  unsealed  part  were  small 
and  beautifully  engraved.  Mr.  Smith,  through  the  aid  of  the 
Urim  and  Thummim,  and  by  the  gift  and  power  of  God,  trans- 
lated this  record  into  the  English  language.  This  translation 
contains  about  the  same  amount  of  reading  as  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. A  large  edition  of  this  wonderful  book  was  first  pub- 
lished early  in  1830. 

2. — It  may  be  asked,  what  further  evidence  have  we  that 
Mr.  Smith  saw  the  angel  ?  Does  the  truth  or  falsity  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon  depend  upon  his  testimony  alone?  May  not 
Mr.  Smith  be  an  impostor  ?  These  are  questions,  not  only 
reasonable,  but  of  the  greatest  importance.  It  certainly  does 
not  seem  reasonable  to  many  that  in  sending  a  message  which 
is  to  aifect  the  temporal  and  eternal  welfare  of  all  the  present 
generation,  God  would  give  but  one  witness  only.  When  God 
sent  a  prophetic  message  concerning  the  flood.  He  must  have 
revealed  the  truth  of  it,  not  only  to  Noah,  but  to  his  three 
sons ;  for  they  all  seem  to  have  labored  together  in  building 
the  ark  ;  this  they  would  not  have  done  unless  they  had  been 
fully  assured  that  the  message  was  from  God.  If,  then,  it  be 
assumed  that  Noah's  three  sons  were  witnesses,  as  well  as  him- 
self, and  that  their  united  testimony  was  given  by  which  the 
whole  world  was  condemned  and  overthrown,  may  we  not 
expect  that  a  message  which  is  to  prove,  if  rejected,  the  over- 
throw of  the  present  generation,  will  some  to  us,  confirmed  by 
at  least,  as  many  witnesses  as  there  were  of  the  flood?  The 
Savior  Himself  testifies  that,  '  'As  it  was  in  the  days  of  Noah, 


OF  TBt  BOOK  OF  MOftMON.  2^3 

SO  shall  it  also  be  in  the  days  of  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
Man."  If  G-od  sent  four  witnesses  in  the  days  of  Noah,  the 
preparatory  message  for  the  day  of  burning,  or  for  the  coming 
of  the  Son  of  Man,  may  also  have  the  same  number. 
Although  the  Savior  has  said,  that  "in  the  mouth  of  two  or 
three  witnesses  every  word  shall  be  established,"  yet  that  does 
not  prohibit  Him  from  sending  more  if  it  be  necessary. 

3. — That  the  world  might  have  no  excuse  for  rejec  tin^he 
Book  of  Mormon,  the  Lord  did,  before  He  sent  it  to  them, 
raise  up  three  other  witnesses  besides  Mr.  Smith,  namely, 
Oliver  Cowdery,  David  Whitmer  and  Martin  Harris.  These 
three  men  in  company  with  Mr.  Smith  testify  that,  in  answer 
to  their  prayers,  in  the  year  1829,  they  saw  an  angel  of  God, 
descend  from  heaven,  clothed  with  glory,  and  that  he  took  the 
plates  from  which  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  translated,  and 
exhibited  them  before  their  eyes,  so  that  they  saw  them  dis- 
tinctly, and  also  the  engravings  upon  them  ;  and  they  further 
testify,  that  while  the  angel  was  thus  showing  them  the  plates, 
they  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord  out  of  the  heavens,  declar- 
ing that  they  had  been  translated  correctly;  and  they  further 
declare  that  the  voice  of  the  Lord  commanded  them  to  send 
forth  their  testimony,  of  what  they  had  seen  and  heard,  unto 
all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues  and  people.  In  obedience  to 
this  heavenly  command  they  have  sent  forth  their  written  tes- 
timony, connected  with  the  Book  of  Mormon,  for  the  benefit 
of  all  the  world. 

4. — No  reasonable  person  will  say  that  these  four  persons 
were  themselves  deceived ;  the  nature  of  their  testimony  is 
such  that  they  must  either  be  bold,  daring  impostors,  or  else 
the  Book  of  Mormon  is  true.  They  testify  that  they  saw  the 
angel  descend — they  heard  his  voice — they  saw  the  plates  in 
his  hand — they  saw  the  engravings  upon  them  as  the  angel 
turned  them  over,  leaf  after  leaf— at  the  same  time  they  heard 
the  voice  of  the  Lord  out  of  the  heavens.  What  greater  evi- 
dence could  they  have  ?  They  could  have  had  nothing  that 
would  have  given  them  greater  assurance.  If  they  were 
deceived,  then  there  is  no  certainty  in  anything.  If  these 
four  men  could  be  deceived  in  seeing  an  angel  descend  from 
heaven,    on    the  same  ground  the  apostles  may  have  been 

10 


224  DtVlNE  AtJTHIiNTIClTlr 

deceived  in  seeing  the  Savior  ascend  up  to  heaven.  These 
men  must  have  had  just  as  much  assurance  of  what  they  saw, 
and  heard,  and  handled,  as  they  had  of  the  existence  of  any 
eternal  thing.  And  having  the  most  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
truth  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  they  were  fully  prepared  to 
bear  a  bold,  unequivocal,  fearless  testimony  to  all  nations. 

5. — Is  there  not  a  possibility  that  these  four  witnesses  are 
all  wicked  impostors,  who  have  colleagued  together  to  deceive 
mankind?  We  answer  that  there  would  be  a  possibility  if 
there  were  no  other  evidences  to  confirm  their  testimony.  But 
when  we  take  into  consideration  the  boldness  of  their  testi- 
mony, and  the  circumstances  connected  with  it,  there  is  no  pro- 
bability that  they  were  wicked  men.  Is  it  probable  that  four 
men  who  were,  for  the  most  of  their  days,  strangers  to  each 
other,  residing  in  three  or  four  different  counties,  should  all 
combine  together  to  testify  that  they  had  seen  an  angel  and 
heard  his  voice,  and  also  the  voice  of  Grod,  bearing  testimony 
to  the  truth  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  when  no  such  thing  had 
happened?  Three  of  these  witnesses,  namely,  Joseph  Smith, 
Oliver  Cowdery  and  David  Whitmer,  were  young  men,  from 
twenty  to  twenty-five  years  of  age ;  they  were  men  who  had 
been  accustomed  from  their  childhood  to  the  peaceful  avoca- 
tions of  a  farmer's  life.  Unacquainted  with  the  deceptions 
which  are  more  or  less  practiced  in  large  towns  and  cities,  they 
possessed  the  open  honesty  and  simplicity  so  generally  charac- 
teristic of  country  people.  Is  it,  in  the  least  degree,  probable 
that  men  so  young  and  inexperienced,  accustomed  to  a  coun- 
try life  and  unacquainted  with  the  world  at  large,  would  be  so 
utterly  abandoned  by  everything  that  was  good,  so  perfectly 
reckless  as  to  their  own  future  welfare,  so  heaven-daring  and 
blasphemous,  as  to  testify  to  all  nations  that  which,  if  false, 
would  forever  seal  their  damnation?  We  have  read  of  indi- 
vidual impostors,  like  Mahomet,  who  have  testified  to  the 
ministering  of  angels,  and  have  deceived  many;  but  where 
have  we  ever  heard  of  four  impostors,  all  agreed  in  combining 
together,  to  originate  an  imposition,  and  afterwards  to  send 
forth  their  united  testimony  to  deceive  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth?  In  the  history  of  the  various  false  Christs  and  false 
prophets  who  have  appeared  among  men,  we  find,  as  a  general 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  225 

thing,  that  each  one  originated  his  own  system  of  imposition, 
and  then  offered  it  to  the  worid  on  his  own  testimony  alone ; 
but  not  so  with  the  Book  of  Mormon,  it  was  first  confirmed  by 
angels  and  the  voice  of  the  Lord  to  four  witnesses^  before  it 
was  suffered  to  be  printed  and  offered  to  the  world  with 
authority.  We  are  well  aware  that  there  have  been  hundreds 
impositions  offered  to  the  world ;  and  it  is  often  the  case  that 
of  impostors  advocate  a  particular  system,  pretending  that 
they  know  it  to  be  true ;  but  then,  if  such  system  be  traced 
back  to  its  origin,  it  will  be  found  that  it  not  only  originated 
with  one  man,  but  was  first  offered  to  the  world  on  his  testi- 
mony alone.  We  do  not  say  but  that  the  Lord  may  sometimes 
send  only  one  witness  to  bear  testimony  of  the  truth ;  as  exam- 
ples: Lot  was  the  only  one  sent  to  warn  his  kinsmen  in 
Sodom ;  Jonah  alone  was  sent  to  Nineveh ;  and  John  the  Bap- 
tist seems  to  have  been  the  only  one  sent  to  warn  the  Jews 
and  prepare  the  way  for  our  Savior's  first  coming.  It  is  evi- 
dent, then,  that  the  truth  or  falsity  of  a  message  does  not 
depend  upon  its  number  of  witnesses.  It  may  be  true,  though 
there  be  only  one  witness,  and  there  is  a  still  greater  probabil- 
ity of  its  truth  where  there  are  several  witnesses.  The  greater 
the  number  of  witnesses,  the  less  the  liability  of  deception, 
especially  when  we  consider  that  most  impositions  have  been 
originated  and  offered  to  the  world  on  the  testimony  of  only 
one  man.  We  are  not  aware  that  there  ever  were  three,  or 
four,  or  five  impostors  who  originated  an  imposition,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  palming  it  upon  the  world  as  a  message  from  God. 
Such  a  thing  might  barely  be  possible,  but  such  a  thing  would 
be  highly  improbable. 

6. — If  we  compare  the  abstract  testimony  of  these  four  wit- 
nesses with  the  abstract  testimonies  of  the  servants  of  God  in 
former  ages ;  that  is,  if  the  testimonies  alone,  independent  of 
miracles  and  all  other  evidences  be  compared,  we  shall  have, 
in  many  respects,  greater  reasons  for  believing  these  four  of 
modern  times,  than  we  have  for  believing  those  of  ancient  times. 
For  example :  who  were  witnesses  of  Christ's  transfiguration  on 
the  mount  at  the  time  Moses  and  Elias  appeared?  We  are 
informed  that  Peter,  James  and  John  were  witnesses.  But 
how  do  we  know?    Neither  of  them  handed  down  their  writ- 


226  DIVINE  AtJTHErmcmr 

ten  testimony  to  that  effect.  Peter  alone  testifies  of  the  voice 
that  he  and  others  heard  from  heaven  when  they  were  with 
Christ  "in  the  holy  mount"  [II.  Peter  i.  18).  But  neither 
Peter,  James  nor  John,  have  told  us  anything  about  the 
transfiguration,  or  about  the  appearance  of  Moses  and  Elias. 
Matthew,  Mark  and  Luke  give  us  a  second-handed  testimony 
to  that  effect.  But  these  three,  not  being  present  at  the  trans- 
figuration, could  not  testify  as  eye  witnesses.  Compare,  then, 
the  testimony  of  these  three,  who  did  not  see  the  glorious 
manifestations  in  the  mount,  with  the  testimony  of  the  four 
witnesses  to  the  Book  of  Mormon,  who  both  saw  and  heard, 
and  you  will  be  compelled  to  admit  that  the  latter  testimony  is 
far  greater  than  the  former. 

7. — As  another  example,  let  us  compare  the  abstract  testi- 
mony of  these  four  witnesses  with  the  abstract  testimonies  of 
those  who  professed  to  have  seen  Jesus  after  His  resurrection. 
How  many  eye  witnesses  were  there  that  beheld  Jesus  after 
His  resurrection?  We  have  the  written  testimony  of  only 
four,  namely,  Matthew,  John,  Paul  and  Peter.  There  is  no 
doubt  but  what  all  the  eleven  saw  Him,  though  eight  out  of 
the  eleven  have  given  us  no  written  testimony  to  that  effect. 
Mark,  Luke,  James  and  Jude,  the  other  four  writers  of  the 
New  Testament,  have  not  told  us  in  their  writings,  whether 
they  saw  Him  after  His  resurrection  or  not.  Several  women 
saw  Him,  but  their  written  testimony  has  never  reached  our 
day.  Paul  says  that  He  was  seen,  not  only  by  all  the  apos- 
tles, but  by  "above  five  hundred  brethren  at  once"  (/.  Cor. 
XV.  6).  But  none  of  those  five  hundred  eye  witnesses  have 
left  any  written  testimonies  of  what  they  saw.  Hence,  Mat- 
thew, John,  Paul  and  Peter  are  the  only  persons  among  the 
great  number  that  saw  Him  after  His  resurrection,  who  have 
handed  down  to  our  day  their  written  testimony  as  eye  wit- 
nesses. Therefore,  when  this  generation  can  establish  the 
writings  of  these  four  apostles  to  be  genuine,  uncorrupted  and 
translated  correctly,  they  will  have  the  testimony  of  as  many 
witnesses  to  establish  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  as  there  was, 
in  the  first  place  to  establish  the  divine  authenticity  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon ;  but  until  then,  the  witnesses  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon  will  be,  not  only  equal  in  number,  but  superior  in 


OF  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON,  227 

certainty  to  those  which  this  generation  have  of  Christ's  resur- 
rection. Why  is  it,  then,  that  men  will  believe  four  witnesses 
who  lived  eighteen  centuries  ago,  and  reject  the  same  number 
of  witnesses  that  have  lived  in  their  own  day,  who  testify  of 
things  with  equally  as  much  certainty,  having  both  seen  and 
heard?  It  is  because  it  has  become  popular,  through  tradi- 
tion, to  believe  what  their  fathers  believed,  without  at  all 
inquiring  into  the  strength  of  the  evidence  on  which  their 
faith  is  founded. 

8. — Many  say  that  they  will  not  believe  in  the  divine  authen- 
ticity of  the  Book  of  Mormon  because  there  is  so  much  evil 
spoken  against  the  four  witnesses.  Let  such  persons  remem- 
ber the  sayings  of  our  Savior:  "Blessed  are  they  which  are 
persecuted  for  righteousness  sake ;  for  their' s  is  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall  revile  you,  and 
persecute  you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you 
falsely  for  my  sake.  Rejoice  and  be  exceeding  glad ;  for  great 
is  your  reward  in  heaven ;  for  so  persecuted  they  the  prophets 
which  were  before  you."  And  again,  Jesus  said,  ''Woe  unto 
you  when  all  men  speak  well  of  you ;  for  so  did  their  fathers 
to  the  false  prophets."  Again,  He  said,  "Ye  shall  be  hated 
of  all  men  for  my  name's  sake."  "If  they  have  called  the 
Master  of  the  house  Beelzebub,  how  much  more  shall  they 
call  them  of  His  household?"  Paul  testifies  that  the  Saints 
"were  counted  the  ofi'-scouring  of  all  things."  Did  the  hatred, 
the  persecutions,  the  revilings  and  the  "all  manner  of  evils" 
which  were  said  against  the  apostles,  invalidate  or  destroy 
their  testimony ?  No:  their  testimony  was  just  as  true  after 
they  were  spoken  evil  of  as  before.  Why,  then,  should  any 
reject  the  Book  of  Mormon  because  the  four  witnesses  have 
been  persecuted,  and  all  manner  of  evil  said  against  them?  Is 
it  not  a  presumptive  evidence  in  favor,  instead  of  being  an 
evidence  against  the  work  ?  On  the  other  hand,  if  all  men 
spoke  well  of  these  four  witnesses,  would  they  not  come  under 
the  woe  of  the  Savior,  and  would  they  not  be  denounced  the 
same  as  the  false  prophets  whom  the  Jews  spoke  well  of? 
Some  may  say  that  they  believe  that  the  evils  spoken  against  the 
apostles  were  false,  while  the  evils  spoken  against  Mr.  Smith 
^nd  th^  other  witnesses  are  true.    But  what  evidence  have  they 


228  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

to  believe  that  the  men  who  accused  the  apostles  of  "all  manner 
of  evil,"  were  liars;  while  those  who  accuse  these  latter-day 
witnesses  are  men  of  truth?  Are  not  the  latter-day  accusers 
just  as  likely  to  be  liars  as  the  former- day  ones?  And  are  not 
the  Latter  day  Saints  just  as  liable  to  be  falsely  accused  as 
former-day  Saints?  Let  the  accusations  be  ever  so  great,  or 
ever  so  numerous,  it  does  not  destroy  the  truth  of  a  message 
now,  any  more  than  it  did  anciently. 

9. — If  we  were  to  admit  that  the  sins  and  transgressions  of 
Joseph  Smith  and  the  other  witnesses,  were  as  great  as  their 
enemies  falsely  assert  them  to  be,  (which  we  do  in  no  wise 
admit),  that  would  not  invalidate  nor  destroy  their  testimony. 
When  Saul,  the  king  of  Israel,  through  transgression,  lost  the 
spirit  of  prophecy,  and  became  a  murderer  in  his  heart,  by 
seeking  the  life  of  David,  no  one  will  pretend  to  say  that  it 
destroyed  or  even  weakened  the  testimony  that  he  had  form- 
erly delivered  as  a  prophet.  When  David  added  the  crime  of 
murder  to  adultery,  will  any  one  pretend  to  say  that  it  inval- 
idated his  testimony  in  relation  to  the  truth  of  his  former 
prophetic  writings?  The  Lord  appeared  unto  Solomon  twice, 
(/.  Kings  xi.  9);  yet  even  after  all  that,  he  fell  into  transgres- 
sion and  became  a  most  abominable  idolater,  serving  numerous 
gods  and  goddesses,  that  were  worshiped  by  the  heathen.* 
Now  did  this  great  crime  prove  that  his  testimony,  about  see- 
ing the  Lord  twice,  was  false,  and  not  to  be  depended  upon  ? 
Did  his  wicked  idolatry  prove  that  his  proverbs  and  other 
witings  were  not  inspired  of  Grod?  Did  Peter's  lying,  curs- 
ing, swearing  and  denying  the  Christ,  invalidate  or  destroy  his 
testimony  concerning  the  glorious  voice  he  heard  in  the  mount? 
If  then  such  abominable  and  awfully  wicked  crimes,  com- 
mitted by  ancient  prophets  and  apostles,  did  not  invalidate 
nor  destroy  their  testimonies  of  what  they,  during  their  right- 
eousness, had  seen  and  heard,  why  should  it  be  thought  that 
the  testimony  of  the  four  witnesses  of  the  Book  of  Mormon 
could  be,  in  the  least,  weakened  or  rendered  doubtful  by  their 
transgressions  and  sins?  If  they  were,  through  fear,  to  lie, 
curse  and  swear  as  Peter  did,  and  to  deny  the  Book  of  Mor- 


-I.  Kings,  xi.  1-10, 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  229 

mon,  as  Peter  did  the  Christ,  that  would  not  prove  their 
former  testimony  was  false.  If  they  were  to  turn  away  and 
serve  other  gods,  and  commit  adultery  and  murder,  as  Solo- 
mon, David  and  Saul  did,  that  would  not  prove  that  they  had 
not  seen  an  angel,  and  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  confirming 
to  them  the  truth  of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  If  such  crimes 
would  invalidate  their  testimony  in  relation  to  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  like  crimes  would  equally  invalidate  the  testimonies 
of  ancient  prophets  and  apostles  in  relation  to  their  respective 
messages. 

10.— No  man  who  has  any  degree  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in 
his  heart,  can  read  the  history  of  Joseph  Smith,  as  written 
by  himself,  without  being  fully  convinced  that  he  was  no 
impostor.  His  extreme  youth  at  the  time  he  received  bis  first 
vision,  must  have  precluded  every  idea  of  deception :  and 
also,  the  vision  was  of  such  a  nature  that  he  could  not  himself 
have  been  deceived.  He  testifies,  that  when  he  was  only  in 
his  fifteenth  year,  that  his  mind  was  filled  with  the  deepest  anx- 
iety for  the  salvation  of  his  soul :  his  attention  being  called  to 
this  subject  in  consequence  of  a  great  religious  excitement 
which  prevailed  in  his  neighborhood,  and  in  the  surrounding 
country.  This  excitement  existed  to  a  great  extent  among  many 
religious  sects,  but  more  especially  among  the  Presbyterians, 
Baptists  and  Methodists.  Many  contentions  existed  as  to 
which  of  the  numerous  sects  was  right.  Four  of  his  father's 
family  were  proselyted  to  the  Presbyterian  faith.  He  himself, 
not  knowing  which  was  right,  kept  aloof  from  all.  I  will  here 
insert  an  extract  from  his  history,  in  his  own  words :  it  reads 
as  follows : 

11. — "So  great  was  the  confusion  and  strife  among  the 
difi'erent  denominations,  that  it  was  impossible  for  a  person, 
young  as  I  was,  and  so  unacquainted  with  men  and  things,  to 
come  to  any  certain  conclusion  who  was  right,  and  who  was 
wrong.  My  mind  at  different  times  was  greatly  excited,  the 
cry  and  tumult  was  so  great  and  incessant.  The  Presbyterians 
were  most  decided  against  the  Baptists  and  Methodists,  and 
used  all  their  powers  of  either  reason  or  sophistry  to  prove 
their  errors,  or  at  least  to  make  the  people  think  they  were  in 
error.     On  the  other  hand,  the  Baptists  and  Methodists  in 


230  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

their  turn,  were  equally  zealous  to  establish  their  own  tenets 
and  disprove  all  others. 

"In  the  midst  of  this  war  and  tumult  of  opinions,  I  often 
said  to  myself,  what  is  to  be  done  ?  Who  of  all  these  parties 
are  right?  or,  are  they  all  wrong  together?  If  any  of  them 
be  right  which  is  it,  and  how  shall  I  know  it? 

"While  I  was  laboring  under  the  extreme  difficulties,  caused 
by  the  contests  of  these  parties  of  religionists,  1  was  one  day 
reading  the  epistle  of  James,  first  chapter  and  fifth  verse, 
which  reads,  'If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him.  ask_of 
Grod,  that  giveth  unto  all  men  liberally  and  upbraideth  not, 
and  it  shall  be  given  him. '  Never  did  any  passage  of  scrip- 
ture come  with  more  power  to  the  heart  of  man  than  this  did 
at  this  time  to  mine.  It  seemed  to  enter  with  great  force  into 
every  feeling  of  my  heart.  I  reflected  on  it  again  and  again, 
knowing  that  if  any  person  needed  wisdom  from  Grod  I  did; 
for  how  to  act  I  did  not  know,  and  unless  I  could  get  more 
wisdom  than  I  then  had,  would  never  know ;  for  the  teachers 
of  religion  of  the  diiFerent  sects  understood  the  same  passage 
so  differently  as  to  destroy  all  confidence  in  settling  the  ques- 
tion by  an  appeal  to  the  Bible.  At  length  I  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  I  must  either  remain  in  darkness  and  confusion, 
or  else  I  must  do  as  James  directs,  that  is,  ask  of  God.  I  at 
length  came  to  the  determination  to  'ask  of  God,'  conclud- 
ing that  if  He  gave  wisdom  to  them  that  lacked  wisdom,  and 
would  give  liberally  and  not  upbraid,  I  might  venture.  So,  in 
accordance  with  this  my  determination  to  ask  of  God,  I  retired 
to  the  woods  to  make  the  attempt.  It  was  on  the  morning  of 
a  beautiful,  clear  day,  early  in  the  Spring  of  eighteen  hundred 
and  twenty.  It  was  the  first  time  in  my  life  that  I  had  made  such 
an  attempt,  for  amidst  all  my  anxieties  I  had  never  yet  made 
the  attempt  to  pray  vocally. 

"After  I  had  retired  into  the  place  where  1  had  previously 
designed  to  go,  having  looked  around  me  and  finding  myself 
alone,  I  kneeled  down  and  began  to  offer  up  the  desires  of  my 
heart  to  God.  I  had  scarcely  done  so,  when  immediately  I 
was  seized  upon  by  some  power  which  entirely  overcame  me, 
and  had  such  astonishing  influence  over  me  as  to  bind  my 
tongue,  so  that  I  could  qot  speak.     Thick  darkqess  gathered 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  231 

around  me,  and  it  seemed  to  me  for  a  time  as  if  I  were  doomed 
to  sudden  destruction.  But  exerting  all  my  powers  to  call 
upon  God  to  deliver  me  out  of  the  power  of  this  enemy  which 
had  seized  upon  me,  and  at  the  very  moment  when  I  was 
ready  to  sink  into  despair  and  abandon  myself  to  destruction, 
not  to  an  imaginary  ruin,  but  to  the  power  of  some  actual 
being  from  the  unseen  world,  who  had  such  a  marvelous 
power  as  I  had  never  before  felt  in  any  being.  Just  at  this 
moment  of  great  alarm,  I  saw  a  pillar  of  light  exactly  over 
my  head,  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun,  which  descended 
gradually  until  it  fell  upon  me.  It  no  sooner  appeared  than  I 
found  myself  delivered  from  the  enemy  which  held  me  bound. 
When  the  light  rested  upon  me,  I  saw  two  personages,  whose 
brightness  and  glory  defy  all  description,  standing  above  me  in 
the  air.  One  of  them  spake  unto  me,  calling  me  by  name, 
and  said  (pointing  to  the  other) — 'This  is  my  beloved  Son, 
hear  Him.' 

"My  object  in  going  to  inquire  of  the  Lord,  was  to  know 
which  of  all  the  sects  was  right,  that  I  might  know  which  to 
join.  No  sooner,  therefore,  did  I  get  possession  of  myself,  so 
as  to  be  able  to  speak,  than  I  asked  the  personages  who  stood 
above  me  in  the  light,  which  of  all  the  sects  was  right  (for  at 
this  time  it  had  never  entered  into  my  heart  that  all  were 
wrong),  and  which  I  should  join.  I  was  answered  that  I  must 
join  none  of  them,  for  they  were  all  wrong,  and  the  personage 
who  addressed  me  said  that  all  their  creeds  were  an  abomin- 
ation in  His  sight ;  that  those  professors  were  all  corrupt; 
they  draw  near  to  me  with  their  lips,  but  their  hearts  are  far 
from  me;  they  teach  for  doctrine  the  commandments  of  men, 
having  a  form  of  godliness,  but  they  deny  the  power  thereof.' 
He  again  forbade  me  to  join  with  any  of  them :  and  many 
other  things  did  He  say  unto  me  which  I  cannot  write  at  this 
time.  When  I  came  to  myself  again,  I  found  myself  laying 
on  my  back,  looking  up  into  heaven.  Some  few  days  alter  I 
had  this  vision,  I  happened  to  be  in  company  with  one  of  the 
Methodist  preachers  who  was  very  active  in  the  before-men- 
tioned religious  excitement,  and  conversing  with  him  on  the 
subject  of  religion,  I  took  occasion  to  give  him  an  account  of 
the  vision  which  J  l^ad  ha(J.    I  was  greatly  surprised  at  his 


232  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

behavior;  he  treated  my  communication  not  only  lightly,  but 
with  great  contempt,  saying  it  was  all  of  the  devil,  that  there 
were  no  such  things  as  visions  or  revelations  in  these  days ;  that 
all  such  things  had  ceased  with  the  apostles,  and  that  there 
never  would  be  any  more  of  them.  I  soon  found,  however, 
that  my  telling  the  story  had  excited  a  great  deal  of  prejudice 
against  me  among  professors  of  religion,  and  was  the  cause  of 
great  persecution  which  continued  to  increase ;  and  though  I 
was  an  obscure  boy,  only  between  fourteen  and  fifteen  years  of 
age,  and  my  circumstances  in  life  such  as  to  make  a  boy  of  no 
consequence  in  the  world,  yet  men  of  high  standing  would  take 
notice  sufficient  to  excite  the  public  mind  against  me  and  create 
a  hot  persecution,  and  this  was  common  among  all  the  sects:  all 
united  to  persecute  me.  It  has  often  caused  me  serious  reflec- 
tion both  then  and  since,  how  very  strange  it  was  that  an 
obscure  boy  of  a  little  over  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  one,  too, 
who  was  doomed  to  the  necessity  of  obtaining  a  scanty  main- 
tainance  by  his  daily  labor,  should  be  thought  a  character  of 
sufficient  importance  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  great  ones 
of  the  most  popular  sects  of  the  day,  so  as  to  create  in  them  a 
spirit  of  the  hottest  persecution  and  reyiling.  But  strange  or 
not,  so  it  was,  and  was  often  a  cause  of  great  sorrow  to  myself 
However,  it  was  nevertheless  a  fact  that  I  had  had  a  vision.  I 
have  thought  since,  that  I  felt  much  like  Paul  when  he  made 
his  defense  before  King  Agrippa  and  related  the  account  of 
the  vision  he  had  when  he  'saw  a  light  and  heard  a  voice,'  but 
still  there  were  but  few  who  believed  him  ;  some  said  he  was 
dishonest,  others  said  he  was  mad,  and  he  was  ridiculed  and 
reviled ;  but  all  this  did  not  destroy  the  reality  of  his  vision. 
He  had  seen  a  vision,  he  knew  he  had,  and  all  persecution 
under  heaven  could  not  make  it  otherwise;  and  though  they 
should  persecute  him  unto  death,  yet  he  knew  and  would  know 
unto  his  latest  breath,  that  he  had  both  seen  a  light  and  heard 
a  voice  speaking  to  him,  and  all  the  world  could  not  make 
him  believe  otherwise.  So  it  was  with  me,  I  had  actually  seen 
a  light  and  in  the  midst  of  that  light  I  saw  two  personages, 
and  they  did  in  reality  speak  unto  me,  or  one  of  them  did;  and 
though  I  was  hated  and  persecuted  for  saying  that  I  had  seen 
a  vision,  yet  it  was  true  ;  and  while  they  were  persecuting  me, 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  233 

reviling  me,  and  speaking  all  manner  of  evil  against  me  falsely 
for  so  saying,  I  was  led  to  say  in  my  heart,  why  persecute  for 
telling  the  truth?  I  had  actually  seen  a  vision  and  'who  am  I 
that  I  can  withstand  Grod?  '  Or  why  does  the  world  think  to 
make  me  deny  what  I  have  actually  seen?  For  I  had  seen  a 
vision;  I  knew  it,  and  knew  that  Grod  knew  it,  and  I  could  not 
deny  it,  neither  dare  I  do  it;  at  least  I  knew  that  by  so  doing 
I  would  offend  God  and  come  under  condemnation.  I  had  now 
got  my  mind  satisfied  so  far  as  the  sectarian  world  was  con- 
cerned, that  it  was  not  my  duty  to  join  with  any  of  them,  but 
continue  as  I  was  until  further  directed. ' '  * 

12, — Now  we  candidly  ask  our  readers  if  they  can  believe 
that  a  boy  under  fifteen  years  of  age,  would  relate  the  forego- 
ing vision  to  a  Methodist  minister  and  to  his  old  acquaintances 
on  purpose  to  bring  down  upon  himself  derision  and  scorn. 
Would  he  continue  year  after  year,  to  affirm  that  he  had  seen 
a  great  and  glorious  vision,  unless  he  had  truly  seen  one? 
Would  he  be  so  fond  of  being  hated,  persecuted  and  ridiculed, 
that  he  would  continue  to  testify  to  a  heaven-  daring  falsehood, 
on  purpose  to  get  the  contempt  and  ill-will  of  almost  every  one 
that  knew  him  ?  Where  is  there  a  circumstance  recorded  in 
the  annals  of  history  of  a  youth  of  fourteen  turning  an  impos- 
tor, declaring  that  he  had  seen  the  Lord  and  heard  his  voice, 
and  continuing  to  affirm  the  same  all  the  days  of  his  life,  in 
the  midst  of  the  most  distressmg  scenes  of  persecution,  and 
finally,  sealing  his  testimony  with  his  blood  ?  Such  an  instance 
cannot  be  found.  If  this  obscure  country  youth  were  an 
impostor,  is  it  not  very  strange  that  none  of  the  wise  men  of 
the  age  are  able  to  detect  the  least  error  in  his  doctrine?  A 
wicked,  corrupt  impostor  of  fourteen  years  of  age,  must  be  the 
wonder  of  the  world,  if  he  could  begin  to  originate,  at  that 
early  period  of  his  life,  a  religious  deception  that  could  not  in 
its  progress,  be  detected,  but  that  would  continue  j^ear  after 
year,  to  deceive  its  tens  of  thousands.  If  he  was  sincere,  then 
the  Book  of  Mormon  is  a  divine  revelation  and  this  Church 
must  be  "the  only  true  and  living  Church  of  Christ  upon  the 
face  of  the  whole  earth,"  and  there  is  no  salvation  in  any 

* History  of  Joseph  Smith,  Millennial  Star,  Vol.  iii..  No.  2,  p.  21. 


234  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

other.  This  is  an  immense  conclusion,  but  we  can  come  to  no 
other,  the  moment  we  admit  his  sincerity.  Therefore  the 
world  are  driven  to  the  necessity  of  denouncing  this  obscure, 
illiterate  country  youth,  as  the  most  vile,  base,  arch-deceiver 
that  ever  disgraced  the  earth,  or  of  admitting  that  he  was  one 
of  the  greatest  prophets,  with  the  exception  of  the  Savior, 
that  ever  lived  among  men. 

13, — But  in  order  to  prove  that  the  four  witnesses  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon  are  all  impostors,  it  will  be  necessary  to  prove 
that  they  did  not  see  and  hear  an  angel — that  they  did  not  see 
the  plates  in  the  angel's  hand— that  they  did  not  hear  the  voice 
of  the  Lord,  declaring  that  they  were  translated  correctly.  All 
reasonable  men  will  admit  that  it  is  impossible  for  any  negative 
testimony  to  be  found  to  prove  directly  that  God  did  not  send 
His  angel  to  reveal  and  confirm  the  truth  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon ;  and  as  there  is  no  direct  evidence  to  negative  their  testi- 
mony and  prove  them  impostors,  therefore  if  it  be  possible  to 
prove  them  such,  it  can  only  be  done  by  some  indirect  evidence, 
arising  from  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  or  from  the  nature 
of  the  message  itself,  as  being  contradictory  to  some  known 
truth. 

14. — Let  us  enquire,  first,  if  there  beany  thing  connected 
with  the  circumstances  that  renders  their  testimony  doubtful 
or  improbable.  Is  it  improbable  that  an  angel  should  be  sent 
again  to  our  earth  ?  We  see  no  improbability  that  such  an 
event  should  happen.  It  certainly  is  not  an  unscriptural  doc- 
trine for  angels  to  appear.  Angels  appeared  to  Abraham  and 
took  dinner  with  him ;  an  angel  appeared  to  Jacob  and 
wrestled  with  him  all  night;  angels  appeared  to  Lot,  and 
lodged  with  him  ;  angels  appeared  to  Moses,  to  Joshua,  to 
Manoah,  to  Gideon,  to  David,  to  Daniel,  to  Zechariah,  to  Joseph, 
the  husband  of  Mary,  to  the  shepherds  by  night,  to  the  apostles, 
to  Philip,  to  Paul,  to  Cornelius,  and  finally,  Paul  says, 
that  they  are  "all  ministering  spirits  sent  forth  to  minister  lor 
them  who  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation."  The  apostles  exhorted 
the  saints  not  to  be  forgetful  to  entertain  strangers,  for  some, 
in  so  doing,  "had  entertained  angels  unawares."  There  is 
nothing  in  the  scriptures  which  indicates  that  angels  will  cease 
to  appear  among  men ;  therefore,  there  is  nothing  in  the  ciy- 


OF  THJ!  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  235 

cumstances  of  the  appearance  of  the  angel  to  those  four  wit- 
nesses that  is  unscriptural.  And  there  certainly  is  nothing 
unreasonable  in  an  angel's  being  sent  in  our  day.  If  it  was 
reasonable  for  God  to  send  an  angel  to  announce  the  birth  of 
John  the  Baptist,  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  first  advent,  why 
should  it  be  thought  unreasonable  for  Him  to  send  angels  to 
announce  the  great  preparatory  message  for  the  second  advent? 
Hence,  the  testimony  of  these  four  witnesses,  concerning  the 
appearing  of  an  angel,  is  neither  unscriptural  nor  unreasonable. 
Therefore,  the  event  itself,  and  the  circumstances  connected 
with  it,  are  such  as  do  not,  in  the  least,  weaken  the  testimony, 
or  render  it  doubtful,  or  improbable. 

15. — Let  us  enquire  next,  if  there  be  anything,  connected 
with  the  nature  of  the  message,  that  is  contradictory  to  any 
known  truth?  This  can  be  easily  ascertained  by  a  careful 
examination  of  the  historical,  prophetical  and  doctrinal  parts 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  by  a  faithful  comparison  of  the 
same  with  the  historical,  prophetical  and  doctrinal  truths  which 
are  already  known.  If,  after  this  examination  and  comparison, 
we  find  irreconcilable  and  palpable  contradictions,  we  should 
then  know  the  four  witnesses  to  be  false  in  their  testimony  and 
unworthy  of  credit.  But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  we  find  no 
disagreement,  nor  contradictions  to  any  known  truths,  if  we 
find  every  part  of  the  book  harmonizing  with  every  other  part, 
if  we  find  nothing  absurd,  unscriptural,  nor  unreasonable, 
then  we  have  no  authority  whatever  for  condemning  the  wit- 
nesses as  impostors. 

16. — If  the  historical^artj)f  the_Book_of  Mprmon  be  com- 
pared with  what  little  is  known~Irom  other  sources,  concerning 
the  history  of  ancient  America,  there  will  be  found  much  evi- 
dence to  substantiate  its  truth ;  but  there  cannot  be  found  one 
truth  among  all  the  gleanings  of  antiquity  that  clashes  with 
IFe  historical  truths  of  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

17. — If  the  prophetical  part  of  this  wonderful  book  be  com- 
pared with  the  prophetical  declarations  of  the  Bible,  there  will 
be  found  much  evidence  in  the  latter  to  establish  the  truth  of 
the  former.  But  though  there  are  many  predictions  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  relating  to  the  great  events  of  the  last  days, 
which  the  Bible  gives  us  no  information  about,  yet  there  is 


236  DIVINE  AUTHENncrnr 

nothing  in  the  predictions  of  the  Bible  that  contradicts  in  the 
least,  the  predictions  in  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

18. — If  the  doctrinal  part  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  be  com- 
pared with  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  there  will  be  found  the 
same  perfect  harmony  which  we  find  on  the  comparison  of  the 
prophetical  parts  of  the  two  books.  Although  there  are  many 
points  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ  that  are  far  more  plain  and 
definite  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  than  in  the  Bible  and  many 
things  revealed  in  relation  to  doctrine  that  never  could  be  fully 
learned  from  the  Bible,  yet  there  are  not  any  items  of  doctrine 
in  the  two  sacred  books  that  contradict  each  other,  or  clash  in 
the  least. 

19. — If  the  various  books  which  enter  into  the  collection, 
called  the  Book  of  Mormon,  be  carefully  compared  with  each 
other,  there  will  be  found  nothing  contradictory  in  history,  in 
prophecy  or  in  doctrine. 

20. — If  the  miracles  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  be  compared 
with  the  miracles  of  the  Bible,  there  cannot  be  found  in  the 
former  any  thing  that  would  be  more  difficult  to  believe,  than 
what  we  find  in  the  latter. 

21. — If  we  compare  the  historical,  prophetical  and  doctrinal 
parts  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  with  the  great  truths  of  science 
and  nature,  we  find  no  contradictions,  no  absurdities,  nothing 
unreasonable.  The  most  perfect  harmony,  therefore,  exists 
between  the  great  truths  revealed  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  and 
all  other  known  truths,  whether  religious,  historical  or  scien- 
tific. 

22. — Here,  then,  we  have  this  great  message  of  the  last 
days,  confirmed  at  the  very  outset,  by  the  ministry  of  an  angel 
to  four  witnesses.  These  witnesses  have  neither  of  them 
denied  the  bold  and  fearless,  though  humble  testimony  which 
they  have  sent  forth  to  all  nations.  No  man  living  can  prove 
that  an  angel  did  not  appear  to  them.  There  is  nothing  in 
the  nature  of  the  event  itself,  nor  in  any  of  the  circumstances 
connected  with  it,  that  would  render  it  absurd,  unscriptural, 
unreasonable  or  improbable.  There  is  nothing  in  the  historical, 
prophetical]  or  doctrinal  parts  of  the  message  that  contradicts 
each  other,  or  any  known  truth  through  the  wide  field  of  scien- 
tific or  religious  knowledge.     Therefore,  no  man  living  has  the 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  237 

least  authority  for  condemning  these  witnesses  as  impostors. 
Indeed,  there  cannot  be  brought  the  least  shadow  of  evidence, 
either  direct  or  indirect,  to  prove  that  their  testimony,  concern- 
ing the  angel,  is  false.  Therefore,  as  their  testimony  cannot 
be  proved  false,  the  Book  of  Mormon  stands  upon  a  founda- 
tion as  firm  as  the  rock  of  ages,  and  as  secure  as  the  throne  of 
the  Almighty.  Though  wicked  men  may  invent  all  manner  of 
falsehoods  against  the  Saints  and  against  the  chosen  witnesses 
of  the  Lord — though  they  may  slander,  revile  and  persecute 
them  and  drive  them  from  city  to  city,  destroying  property  and 
murdering  men,  women  and  children — though  they  have  with- 
out the  least  provocation,  murdered  this  great  prophet  of  the  last 
dispensation,  and  driven  tens  of  thousands  of  the  Church  into 
the  wilderness,  far  from  the  abodes  of  what  they  call  civilized 
life ; — yet  they  will  learn  that  all  such  arguments  are  vain  and 
futile,  when  met  by  stubborn  facts;  they  will  learn  that  such 
arguments  are  powerless  when  they  hear  the  voice  of  witnesses, 
saying,  we  have  seen,  we  have  heard,  we  have  handled  and 
we  know  of  a  surety.  All  men  among  all  nations,  kindreds, 
tongues  and  people,  are  required  under  the  penalty  of  eternal 
damnation  to  believe,  receive  and  obey  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
unless  they  can  prove  the  witnesses  thereof  to  be  impostors. 
And  this  they  cannot  do. 

23. — It  is  oftentimes  asked,  by  our  opposers,  if  the  Bible 
says  anything  about  the  Book  of  Mormon  ?  If  not,  say  they, 
we  will  not  believe  in  it.  Now  there  is  nothing  more  inconsist- 
ent than  to  say  we  will  not  believe  a  book  to  be  a  divine  revela- 
tion, unless  some  other  inspired  book  has  spoken  of  it.  How 
did  Jeremiah  prove  to  the  Jews  that  his  book  was  true?  Did 
any  other  inspired  book  speak  of  the  writings  which  Jeremiah 
should  receive?  No;  Jeremiah's  book  was  not  mentioned  by 
any  of  the  former  prophets.  Does  any  former  book  speak  of 
the  five  books  of  Moses?  Docs  any  former  book  say  anything 
about  the  book  of  Ezekiel,  the  book  of  Amos,  the  book  of 
Joel,  the  book  of  Zechariah,  the  book  of  Malachi,  the  book 
of  Matthew,  the  book  of  Jamcsor  Jude,  or  the  book  of  John's 
prophecy?  Those,  therefore,  who  would  reject  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  because  they  suppose  that  other  previously  inspired 
books  had  not  mentioned  it,  would,  on  the  same  grounds,  be 


238  DlTlNfi  AUTHENTICITY 

obliged  to  reject  every  book,  both  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments, for  not  one  of  them  can  be  proved  a  divine  revelation 
by  the  testimony  of  any  previously  written  book.  If,  then,  it 
can  be  proved  by  the  Bible  that  such  a  book  as  the  Book  of 
Mormon  was  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  days,  this  would  be  an 
additional  testimony  to  its  truth,  which  none  of  the  other 
inspired  books  have.  Before  we  close  this  series,  we  shall 
show  that  the  Bible  has  predicted  that  such  a  book,  as  the  one 
now  revealed,  should  be  sent  forth  to  fulfill  the  great  events  of 
the  last  days.  If  the  ancient  prophets  have  made  such  pre- 
dictions, they  must  have  considered  that  the  message  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon  was  to  be  of  far  greater  consequence  as  to  the 
events  and  purposes  which  it  should  accomplish,  than  all  other 
books  that  had  preceded  it.  If  they  had  not  considered  it  in 
that  light,  they  would  not  have  mentioned  it,  and  passed  by  in 
silence  many  other  sacred  books  that  were  to  be  written. 

21. — Have  any  persons  ever  seen  the  plates  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, besides  the  four  witnesses  ?  Yes :  there  are  eight  other 
witnesses,  who  send  forth  their  printed  testimony,  in  connection 
with  the  Book  of  Mormon,  unto  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues 
and  people.  They  testify  that  they  saw  and  handled  the  plates 
and  examined  the  engravings  upon  them,  and  that  they  had 
"the  appearance  of  ancient  work  and  of  curious  workman- 
ship."     They  close  their  testimony  with  the  following  words : 

"And  we  give  our  names  unto  the  world,  to  witness  unto  the 
world  that  which  we  have  seen ;  and  we  lie  not,  God  bearing 
witness  of  it."  Here,  then,  are  twelve  witnesses  of  the  exist- 
ence of  the  plates.  Neither  of  these  witnesses  has  ever 
denied  his  testimony  to  this  day.  Some  of  these  witnesses 
have  died — some  have  been  martyred  for  their  testimony ;  and 
one  is  still  living.  Is  there  a  person  on  the  earth,  that  can 
prove  that  these  twelve  witnesses  did  not  see  the  plates  ?  No, 
there  is  not.  The  existence  of  the  plates,  filled  with  engrav- 
ings, is  proved  by  twelve  eye  witnesses ;  while  the  correctness 
of  their  translation  is  proved  by  four  eye  witnesses,  not  only  of 
the  plates,  but  of  the  angel.  Therefore,  the  evidences  which 
this  generation  have  of  the  divine  authenticity  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  and  of  the  existence  of  the  plates,  are  far  greater 
than  the  evidences  which  they  have  for  the  truth  of  any  of  the 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MOEMON.  139 

books  of  the  Bible.  Hence,  if  they  would  be  condemned  for 
rejecting  the  Bible,  how  much  more  will  they  be  condemned 
for  rejecting  the  Book  of  Mormon  which  was  confirmed,  in  its 
very  origin,  by  so  many  witnesses? 

25. — After  these  plates  had  been  exhibited  to  a  sufficient 
number  of  witnesses,  they  were,  by  the  commandment  of  God, 
hid  up  in  charge  of  the  heavenly  messenger  who  first  revealed 
them,  and  who  had,  from  time  to  time,  while  they  were  being 
translated,  directed  Mr.  Smith  how  to  preserve  them  from  the 
hands  of  his  persecutors ;  for  persecution  was  so  heavy  upon 
him  that  he  had  to  flee  from  place  to  place  to  preserve  his  life* 
A  portion  of  these  plates  were  sealed  together,  and  Mr.  Smith 
was  forbidden  to  break  the  seal,  or  to  translate  them.  The 
Book  of  Mormon  informs  us  that  the  sealed  portion  of  the 
plates  contains  a  very  great  and  sacred  revelation,  unfolding 
things  irom  the  beginning  of  the  world  unto  the  end  thereof, 
and  that  it  is  hereafter  to  be  revealed  by  the  power  of  Christ. 
The  plates,  therefore,  will  no  doubt  be  kept  in  charge  of  the 
heavenly  messenger  until  the  time  arrives  for  the  seal  to  be 
loosed,  and  for  the  remainder  to  be  translated. 

26. — Many  suppose  that  if  they  could  see  the  plates,  it  would 
at  once  convince  them  of  the  divine  origin  of  this  great  and 
marvelous  work.  But,  we  ask  such,  how  could  they  know  by 
barely  seeing  the  plates,  whether  they  were  of  ancient  or  mod- 
ern construction  ?  How  could  they  tell,  by  seeing  the  engrav- 
ings upon  them,  that  they  were  translated  correctly  ?  Who, 
among  all  the  generations  of  Israel  after  the  days  of  Moses, 
saw  the  tables  of  stone  on  which  the  law  was  engraved?  We 
answer,  that  the  tables  of  stone  were  kept  in  the  ark  in  the 
"holy  of  holies,"  and  none  but  the  high  priest  had  the  privi- 
lege of  going  in  there  and  he  only  once  a  year.  It  is  true  that 
the  high  priest  could  testify  that  he  had  seen  the  tables  of 
stone,  and  the  people  could  believe  it  on  his  testimony.  When 
Christ  arose  from  the  dead.  He  did  not  show  Himself  openly, 
but  He  appeared  to  chosen  witnesses,  and  commanded  them  to 
bear  testimony  to  all  nations.  The  people,  instead  of  seeing 
the  risen  Savior  and  becoming  eye-witnesses  to  this  great  and 
fundamental  truth,  had  to  believe  it  on  the  testimony  of  others. 
So  with  the  plates  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  instead  ot  these 


240  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITT 

being  sent  to  every  creature  in  all  the  world,  the  testimony  of 
chosen  witnesses  is  sent.  And  as  every  creature  in  all  the 
world,  who  would  not  believe  the  chosen  eye  witnesses  of  a 
risen  Savior  were  to  be  damned,  so  every  living  soul  who  rejects 
the  testimony  of  the  chosen  eye  witnesses  of  the  ministry  of 
the  angel,  confirmatory  of  the  Book  of  Mormon— will  be 
damned,  for  thus  hath  the  Lord  spoken. 

27. — We  ask  this  generation  to  bring  one  living  witness  that 
has  seen  even  one  of  the  original  manuscripts  of  any  of  the 
books  of  the  Bible.  They  cannot  do  it.  There  is  not  one  soli- 
tary original  manuscript  of  any  book  of  the  Bible  now  known 
among  men ;  neither  has  there  been  any  such  manuscript 
known  for  very  many  centuries.  Therefore,  this  generation 
have  twelve  eye  witnesses  of  the  original  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, whereas  they  have  not  even  one  eye  witness  of  the  original 
of  any  book  of  the  Bible.  Therefore,  if  rejecting  the  evidences 
which  we  have  of  the  truth  of  the  Bible  will  bring  condemna- 
tion, how  much  greater  must  be  the  condemnation  of  this  gen 
eration,  if  they  reject  the  far  greater  evidences  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon  !  0  the  unbelief  and  inconsistency  of  this  genera- 
tion! How  can  they  escape  the  sword  of  justice  which  hangs 
over  them  !  They  are  drunken  in  iniquity,  and  the  spirit  of 
deep  sleep  is  upon  them,  and  they  know  not  the  day  of  their 
visitation !  Like  beasts  they  will  be  led  to  the  slaughter  and 
quickly  go  down  into  the  pit ! 

28. — As  there  has  been  no  apostolical  succession  which  has 
continued  on  the  earth  for  the  want  of  new  revelation,  as  was 
proved  in  Chapter  IIL,  of  this  series,  it  maybe  asked,  howwas 
the  authority  of  the  priesthood  restored  totheearth?  We  ans- 
wer, that  it  was  restored  by  the  ministry  of  angels.  On  this  sub- 
ject we  make  an  extract  from  the  history  of  Joseph  Smith, 
which  reads  as  follows:  "We  still  continued  the  work  of  trans- 
lation, when  in  the  ensuing  month,  (May,  1829)  we,"  that  is 
Joseph  Smith  and  Oliver  Cowdery,  "on  a  certain  day,  went 
into  the  woods  to  pray  and  inquire  of  the  Lord  respecting  bap 
tism  for  the  remission  of  sins,  as  we  found  mentioned  in  the 
translation  of  the  plates.  While  we  were  thus  employed,  pray- 
ing, and  calling  upon  the  Lord,  a  messenger  from  heaven 
descended  in  a  cloud  of  light,  and  having  laid  his  hands  upon 


OP  THE  BOOK  OF  MOBMON.  241 

US,  he  ordained  us,  saying  unto  us,  'Upon  you,  my,  fellow  ser- 
vants, in  the  name  of  Messiah,  I  confer  the  Priesthood  of 
Aaron,  which  holds  the  keys  of  the  ministering  of  angels  and 
of  the  gospel  of  repentance,  and  of  baptism  by  immersion  for 
the  remission  of  sins,  and  this  shall  never  be  taken  again  from 
the  earth,  until  the  sons  of  Levi  do  offer  again  an  offering  unto 
the  Lord  in  righteousness. '  He  said  this  Aaronic  Priesthood 
had  not  the  power  of  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  but  that  this  should  be  conferred  on  us  hereafter; 
and  he  commanded  us  to  go  and  be  baptized,  and  gave  us 
directions,  that  I  should  baptize  Oliver  Cowdery,  and  that  after 
wards  he  should  baptize  me. 

"Accordingly  we  went  and  were  baptized :  I  baptized  him 
first,  and  afterwards  he  baptized  me :  after  which  I  laid  my 
hands  upon  his  head  and  ordained  him  to  the  Aaronic  Priest- 
hood, and  afterwards  he  laid  his  hands  upon  me,  and  ordained 
me  to  the  same  Priesthood,  for  so  were  we  commanded. 

"The  messenger  who  visited  us  on  this  occasion,  and  con- 
ferred this  Priesthood  upon  us,  said  that  his  name  was  John, 
the  same  that  is  called  John  the  Baptist  in  the  New  Testament, 
and  that  he  acted  under  the  direction  of  Peter,  James  and 
John,  who  held  the  keys  of  the  Priesthood  of  Melchisedec, 
which  Priesthood,  he  said,  should  in  due  time  be  conferred  on 
us,  and  that  I  should  be  called  the  first  Elder  and  he  the  second. 
It  was  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  May,  eighteen  hundred  and 
twenty-nine,  that  we  were  baptized,  and  ordained  under  the 
hand  of  the  messenger. 

"Immediately  upon  our  coming  up  out  of  the  water  after  we 
had  been  baptized,  we  experienced  great  and  glorious  blessings 
from  our  Heavenly  Father.  No  sooner  had  I  baptized  Oliver 
Cowdery  than  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  upon  him  and  he  stood  up 
and  prophesied  many  things  which  should  shortly  come  to 
pass.  And,  again,  so  soon  as  I  had  been  baptized  by  him,  I 
also  had  the  spirit  of  prophecy ;  when,  standing  up,  I  pro  - 
phesied  concerning  the  rise  of  the  Church,  and  many  other 
things  connected  with  the  Church,  and  this  generation  of  the 
children  of  men.  We  were  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
rejoiced  in  the  God  of  our  salvation.  Our  minds  being  now 
enlightened,  we  began  to  have  the  scriptures  laid  open  to  our 


24^  DIVINE  AtJtHENncirr 

understandings,  and  the  true  meaning  of  their  more  mysteri- 
ous passages  revealed  unto  us,  in  a  manner  which  we  never 
could  attain  to  previously,  nor  ever  before  had  thought  of."* 

29. — We  consider  the  restoration  of  the  Aaronic  Priesthood 
to  be  among  some  of  the  most  important  events  of  the  last 
dispensation.  The  existence  of  this  Priesthood  in  the  last 
days  is  clearly  predicted  in  ancient  scripture.  But  as  this 
Priesthood  has  not  authority  to  administer  the  laying  on  of 
hands  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  it  may  be  further  asked, 
how  was  the  authority  still  further  restored,  namely,  the  apos- 
tleship,  which  holds  the  authority  of  the  Melchisedec  Priest- 
hood? We  answer,  that  Peter,  James  and  John  appeared  as 
ministering  angels,  and  conferred  the  apostleship  upon  Joseph 
Smith  and  others ;  after  which  they  were  authorized  to  con- 
firm the  Church  by  the  laying  on  of  hands.  Thus  it  will  be 
seen,  that  the  authority  of  the  apostles  of  this  Church  of 
Christ  was  not  derived  through  a  succession  of  popes  and 
bishops  in  the  apostate  church  of  Rome,  but  it  was  restored 
direct  from  heaven  by  those  who  hold  the  keys  thereof 

30. — It  will  be  perceived  from  the  above  extract,  that  after 
John  the  Baptist  had  laid  his  hands  ui)on  Joseph  Smith  and 
Oliver  Cowdery,  and  ordained  them,  that  he  commanded  them 
to  baptize  each  other,  and  then  ordain  each  other.  It  may  be 
asked,  why  it  became  necessary  for  them  to  ordain  each  other, 
when  they  had  already  received  an  ordination  under  the  hands 
of  the  angel?  We  answer,  that  in  the  Church  of  God  ordin- 
ation always  follows  baptism  instead  of  preceding  it.  And  as 
they  had  not  been  baptized  when  the  angel  ordained  them,  it 
was  necessary  that  they  should  be  ordained  after  baptism,  in 
order  that  they  might  exhibit  a  perfect  pattern  for  all  future 
ordinations.  If  they  had  not  been  commanded  to  do  this,  the 
servants  of  God  at  a  subsequent  period  might  have  ventured 
to  ordain  others  before  baptism  ;  and  as  an  excuse  for  so  doing, 
they  would  have  argued  that  Joseph  Smith  and  Oliver  Cow- 
dery were  ordained  before  baptism.  Hence  we  can  see  the 
wisdom  of  God  in  giving,  at  the  first  start,  a  perfect  pattern, 
by  commanding  them  to  receive  a  reordination  after  baptism  ; 

* History  of  Joseph  Smith,  Millennial  Star,  Vol.  iii.  No.  9.,  p.  148. 


OP  T?HE  BOOS  OP  MORMON.  243 

thus  showing  that  the  Priesthood,  after  the  Church  was  once 
organized,  was  never  to  be  conferred  upon  any  unbaptized  per- 
son. 

3 1 .  — John  the  Baptist  it'seems  was  the  last  person  who  held  the 
keys  of  the  Aaronic  Priesthood,  and,  therefore,  he  would  be 
a  suitable  person  to  restore  that  Priesthood  once  more  to  the 
earth.  In  order  that  John  might  be  qualified  to  fulfill  all  the 
duties  of  his  mission  as  the  Lord's  messenger,  God  raised  him 
with  many  others  from  the  dead  after  the  resurrection  of 
Christ.*  It  is  also  well  known  that  those  who  die  holding  the 
Priesthood  will  retain  the  Priesthood  in  the  future  life,  and 
will  be  priests  after  the  resurrection,  f  John,  therefore,  hav- 
ing received  an  immortal  body  of  flesh  and  bones,  and  holding 
the  Aaronic  Priesthood  with  the  keys  and  power  thereof,  has 
come  forth  from  heaven  as  the  Lord's  messenger,  to  restore 
the  Priesthood  to  the  sons  of  men — to  prepare  the  way  before 
the  Lord  when  He  shall  suddenly  come  to  His  temple. 

32. — That  John  the  Baptist's  mission  did  not  close  with  his 
martyrdom  is  evident  from  the  testimony  of  both  Isaiah  and 
Malachi.  Both  of  these  prophets  have  spoken  of  John,  and 
of  the  mission  which  he  should  perform,  and  the  great  events 
connected  with  it.  Isaiah  saj^s,  "Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my 
people,  saith  your  God.  Speak  ye  comfortably  to  Jerusalem, 
and  cry  unto  her,  that  her  warfare  is  accomplished,  that  her 
iniquity  is  pardoned ;  for  she  hath  received  of  the  Lord's 
hand  double  for  all  her  sins.  The  voice  of  him  that  crieth  in 
the  wilderness,  prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  straight 
in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God.  Every  valley  shall  be 
exalted  and  every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  made  low :  and 
the  crooked  shall  be  made  straight,  and  the  rough  places  plain 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed  and  all  flesh  shall 
see  it  together:  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it."  3^ 
This  prophecy  is  applied  by  the  evangelists  to  John.  §      He 


-See  Matthew  xxvii.  52,  53. 


t Eevelations  v.  9, 10 ;  also  xx.  6. 

I Isaiah  xl.  1-5. 

g Luke  iii.  4,  5,  6.    John  i.  23. 


244  DIVINE  AUTHENTICrrr 

was  sent  forth  as  a  prophet  to  prepare  the  way  before  the 
Highest  at  His  first  coming,  and  His  voice  was  heard  in  the 
wilderness  to  that  effect ;  but  that  was  only  one  part  of  His 
great  mission,  for  nearly  the  whole  of  the  above  prophecy 
remains  yet  to  be  fulfilled.  John's  message  to  Jerusalem  was 
not  a  proclamation  such  as  above  quoted  ;  he  did  not  declare 
to  her  that  "her  warfare  is  accomplished,  that  her  iniquity  is 
pardoned  ;  he  did  not  testify  to  Jerusalem  that  she  had 
already  "received  of  the  Lord's  hand  double  for  all  her  sins." 
No,  the  time  had  not  come  for  such  comforting  language  to  be 
sounded  in  the  ears  of  the  Jews ;  a  long  dispersion  and  cap- 
tivity awaited  them — distress  and  trouble  for  many  generations 
because  of  their  sins.  Moreover  the  mission  of  John  was  to 
prepare  the  way  of  the  Lord,  not  merely  for  His  first  coming, 
but  for  that  coming  when  "Every  valley  shall  be  exalted,  and 
every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  made  low;"  when  "the 
crooked  shall  be  made  straight,  and  the  rough  places  plain. ' ' 
The  preparation  for  the  Lord's  first  coming  did  not  accomplish 
this ;  the  preparation  for  His  second  coming  will  accomplish  it. 
That  the  above  prophecy  had  reference  to  the  great  and  terrible 
day  of  the  Lord,  when  He  should  appear  in  His  glory,  is  clearly 
expressed  in  the  above  quotation:  "And  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  shall  be  revealed,  and  all  flesh  shall  see  it  together."  At 
His  first  coming  all  flesh  did  not  see  His  glory :  at  His  second 
coming  every  eye  will  see  Him  in  His  glory.  John  the 
Baptist,  then,  being  '  'the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilder- 
ness," will  act  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  great  preparatory  dis- 
pensation for  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord— that  glorious 
dispensation  when  a  message  of  comfort  shall  be  sent  to  the 
dispersed  afflicted  Jews;  when  it  shall  be  said  to  Jerusalem, 
that  her  iniquity  is  pardoned,  etc.  The  greatness  and  glory 
of  his  mission  extended  to  a  period  when  the  mountains,  hills, 
valleys,  and  rough  places  were.to  feel  the  power  of  God — when 
a  highway  was  to  be  prepared  in  the  desert  for  our  Grod — when 
all  flesh  together  was  to  behold  His  glory.  For  this  purpose 
he  was  sent  from  heaven  in  these  latter  times,  clothed  with 
glory  and  power,  holding  the  keys  of  a  preparatory  Priest- 
hood for  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  accompanied  by  all 
the  powers  of  heaven. 


OP  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  245 

33.— The  Lord  by  the  prophet  Malachi  says,  "Behold,  I 
will  send  my  messenger,  and  he  shall  prepare  the  way  before 
me :  and  the  Lord  whom  ye  seek  shall  suddenly  come  to  His 
temple,  even  the  messenger  of  the  covenant  whom  ye  delight 
in:  behold  he  shall  come  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  But  who  may 
abide  the  day  of  His  coming  ?  and  who  shall  stand  when  He 
appeareth?  For  He  is  like  a  refiner's  fire,  and  like  fuller's  soap; 
and  He  shall  sit  as  a  refiner  and  purifier  of  silver ;  and  He 
shall  purify  the  sons  of  Levi,  and  purge  them  as  gold  and 
silver,  that  they  may  ofier  unto  the  Lord  an  offering  in  right- 
eousness. Then  shall  the  offering  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem  be 
pleasant  unto  the  Lord,  as  in  the  days  of  old,  and  as  in  former 
years."*  The  Savior  applies  this  prediction  concerning  the 
messenger  to  John  the  Baptist,  f  Although  John  the  Baptist 
is  the  messenger,  yet  the  great  preparatory  work  which  he 
was  to  perform  was  only  accomplished  in  part  during  his  first 
mission.  The  preparatory  work  ascribed  to  the  messenger  was 
to  precede  the  great  and  glorious  second  coming.  After  the 
messenger  should  prepare  the  way,  then  the  Lord  should  sud- 
denly come  to  His  temple.  That  this  had  reference  to  His 
glorious  appearing  inflaming  fire  is  evident  from  the  questions 
asked,  "But  who  may  abide  the  day  of  His  coming?  And 
who  shall  stand  when  He  appeareth?  When  Christ  first  came 
He  did  not  suddenly  come  to  His  temple — He  did  not  come 
in  such  power  and  glory  that  the  wicked  could  not  abide  His 
coming — He  did  not  consume  the  wicked  so  that  they  could 
not  stand  before  His  appearing.  Therefore,  John  the  Baptist 
did  not,  in  preparing  the  way  for  His  first  coming,  complete 
his  mission.  He  must,  in  order  to  fulfill  the  prophecy,  make 
preparations  for  His  second  coming  also ;  and  in  order  to  do 
this,  the  Priesthood  which  he  held  must  be  restored  to  the 
earth.  This  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  sons  of  Levi 
are  to  be  purged  "as  gold  and  silver,  that  they  may  offer  unto 
the  Lord  an  offering  in  righteousness.  Then  shall  the  offer- 
ing of  Judah  and  Jerusalem  be  pleasant  unto  the  Lord,  as  in 
the  days  of  old,  and  as  in  former  years."      When  John  filled 


+ Malachi  iii.  1,  2,  3,  4. 

t Luke  vii.  27. 


246  BiVlNE  AtJTttENTICITV 

his  first  mission  the  sons  of  Levi  were  not  purged ;  they  did 
not  oiFer  unto  the  Lord  an  offering  in  righteousness ;  the  offer- 
ings of  that  Priesthood  were  not  pleasant  unto  the  Lord. 
But  when  He  suddenly  comes  to  His  temple,  as  mentioned  hy 
Ezekiel,  [xliii.  2,  4,  5,  6,  7,}  then  all  these  things  will  he  ful- 
filled ;  but  before  that  day  the  Priesthood  of  Levi  or  of  Aaron 
must  be  restored  to  the  earth.  John  the  Baptist,  who  holds 
that  Priesthood,  is  the  legal  and  proper  messenger  to  restore 
it,  and  thus  he  will  fulfill  and  accomplish  the  great  prepara- 
tory work  assigned  him  in  relation  to  the  second  comiog  of  the 
Lord. 

34. — This  messenger,  John  the  Baptist,  has  already  been 
sent ;  he  descended  in  a  cloud  of  light  and  glory ;  he  con- 
ferred the  Priesthood  by  his  own  hands  upon  the  heads  of 
Joseph  Smith  and  Oliver  Cowdery  ;  and  thus,  after  so  many 
generations  have  passed  away  in  darkness,  the  sons  of  men 
arc  once  more  blessed  with  the  privilege  of  being  baptized 
by  men  holding  authority.  Grod  requires  all  nations,  kindreds, 
tongues  and  people  to  repent  and  be  baptized  by  the  author- 
ity which  He  has  restored  to  the  earth  through  the  ministry  of 
holy  angels,  and  if  they  will  not  do  this,  "they  shall  be 
damned,"  saith  the  Lord,  "and  shall  not  come  into  my  Father's 
kingdom  where  my  Father  and  I  am." 

35. — The  Lord  having  raised  up  these  chosen  witnesses, 
having  conferred  upon  them  the  Priesthood,  and  having 
poured  out  the  Holy  Grhost  upon  them,  sent  them  forth  to 
bear  testimony.  Many  believed  their  testimony,  repented  and 
were  immersed  in  water  for  the  remission  of  their  ^ins,  and 
were  filled  with  great  joy.  And  on  the  sixth  of  April,  A.  D. 
1830,  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  was 
organized,  according  to  the  commandments  of  God,  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Whitmer,  in  Fayette,  Seneca  county,  state  of 
New  York,  North  America.  Thus  was  the  Church  of  Christ 
once  more  restored  to  the  earth,  holding  the  keys  of  author- 
ity and  power  to  bind,  to  loose,  and  to  seal  on  the  earth  and 
in  heaven,  according  to  the  commandments  of  God  and  the 
revelations  of  Jesus  Christ.  Yea,  thus  saith  the  Lord,  this 
Church  is  "the  only  true  and  living  Church  upon  the  face  of 
the  whole  earth,  with  which  I,  the  Lord,  am  well  pleased, 


OF  THE  BOOtC  OP  MORMON.  247 

Speaking  unto  the  Church  collectively  and  not  individually ; 
for  I,  the  Lord,  cannot  look  upon  sin  with  the  least  degree  of 
allowance."*  All  other  churches  are  unauthorized  of  God. 
Their  "articles  of  religion",  their  creeds,  their  prayer  books, 
their  ordinations,  their  sacraments,  their  baptisms,  their  vari- 
ous forms  of  worship,  their  preaching  and  their  religious 
assemblies  are  all,  an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  heaven. 
There  is  no  remission  of  sins,  nor  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  nor 
legality  of  Priesthood,  nor  authorized  ministrations,  nor  glory, 
nor  salvation  among  them.  There  is  no  vision,  nor  revelation, 
nor  angel,  nor  heavenly  powers,  nor  prophet,  nor  revelator,  nor 
inspiration,  nor  voice  of  God,  nor  any  other  communication 
from  the  heavenly  worlds  unto  them.  The  powers  of  heaven 
and  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  are  not  known  among 
them.  This  is  the  condition  of  every  church  throughout  all 
Christendom :  they  form  no  part  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  nor 
of  the  kingdom  of  God.  0  what  great  reason  have  this  gener- 
ation to  be  thankful  that  God  has  had  pity  upon  them  in  their 
dark,  benighted  and  apostate  condition — that  He  has  sent  His 
angels  with  a  message  of  glad  tidings — that  He  has  set  up  His 
kingdom  again  on  the  earth,  that  salvation  may  once  more  be 
obtained  by  the  fallen  sons  and  daughters  of  men ! 

36. — Having  demonstrated  the  divine  authenticity  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  by  the  testimony  of  four  witnesses  in  its 
origin  among  this  generation,  let  us  next  inquire  whether  in 
the  progress  of  the  work,  God  has  raised  up  any  other  wit- 
nesses of  this  great  and  glorious  book.  On  the  eleventh  day 
of  April,  in  the  same  year  that  the  Church  was  organized, 
Oliver  Cowdery  preached  the  first  public  discourse  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Whitmer.  The  same  day,  thirteen  were  bap- 
tized. In  order  that  the  reader  may  have  some  little  under- 
standing of  the  power  of  the  spirit  that  was  poured  out,  and 
the  testimonies  given  in  confirmation  of  this  work,  we  make 
the  following  extract  from  the  history  of  Joseph  Smith. 

37. — "During  this  month  of  April,  I  (Joseph  Smith)  went 
on  a  visit  to  the  residence  of  Mr.  Joseph  Knight,  of  Coles- 
ville,  Broom  county,  New  York,  with  whom  and  his  family  I 

* Doctrine  and  Covenants,  Sec.  i.  par.  5. 

11 


248  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITT 

had  been  previously  acquainted,  and  of  whose  name  I  havC 
mentioned  as  having  been  so  kind  and  thoughtful  towards 
us  while  translating  the  Book  of  Mormon.       Mr.  Knight  and 
his  family  were  Universalists,  but  were  willing  to  reason  with 
me  upon  my  religious  views,  and  were  as  usual,  friendly  and  hos- 
pitable.    We  held  several  meetings  in  the  neighborhood  ;  we 
had  many  friends  and  some  enemies.     Our  meetings  were  well 
attended  and  many  began  to  pray  fervently  to  Almighty  God, 
that  He  would  give  them  wisdom  to  understand  the  truth. 
Among  those  who  attended  our  meetings  regularly  was  Newe 
Knight,  son  of  Joseph  Knight.      He  and  I  had  many  serious 
conversations  on  the  important  subject  of  man's  eternal  sal- 
vation ;  we  had  got  into  the  habit  of  praying  much  at  our 
meetings  and  Newel  had  said  that  he  would  try  and  take  up 
his  cross  and  pray  vocally  during  meeting ;  but  when  we  again 
met  together,  he  rather  excused  himself       I  tried  to  prevail 
upon  him,  making  use  of  the  figure,  supposing  that  he  should 
get  into  a  mudhole,  would  he  not  try  to  help  himself  out?  And 
that  we  were  willing  now  to  help  him  out  of  the  mudhole. 
He  replied,  that  providing  he  had  got  into  a  mudhole  through 
carelessness,  he  would  rather  wait  and  get  out  himself  than 
have  others  to  help  him  and,  so  he  would  wait  until  he  should  get 
into  the  woods  by  himself  and  there  he  would  pray.     Accord- 
ingly he  deferred  praying  until  next  morning,  when  he  retired 
into  the  woods,  where,   according  to  his  own  account  after- 
wards, he  made  several  attempts  to  pray  but  could  scarcely  do 
so,  feeling  that  he  had  not  done  his  duty,  but  that  he  should 
have  prayed  in  the  presence  of  others.       He   began  to  feel 
uneasy,  and  continued  to  feel  worse  both  in  mind  and  body, 
until  upon  reaching  his  own  house,  his  appearance  was  such 
as  to  alarm  his  wife  very  much.      He  requested  her  to  go  and 
bring  me  to  him.     I  went  and  found  him  sufi*ering  very  much 
in  his  mind,  and  his  body  acted  upon  in  a  very  strange  man- 
ner.      His  visage  and  limbs  distorted  and  twisted  in  every 
shape  and  appearance  possible  to  imagine,  and  finally,  he  was 
caught  up  off  the  floor  of  the  apartment  and  tossed  about 
most  fearfully.       His  situation  was  soon  made  known  to  his 
neighbors  and  relatives,  and  in  a  short  time  as  many  as  eight 
or  nine  grown  persons  had  got  together  to  witness  the  scene. 


Of  TSE  BOOK  01?  MORMON.  249 

After  lie  had  thus  suffered  for  a  time,  I  succeeded  in  getting 
hold  of  him  by  the  hand,  when  almost  immediately  he  spoke 
to  me,  and  with  very  great  earnestness  requested  of  me  that  I 
should  cast  the  devil  out  of  him,  saying  that  he  knew  that  he 
was  in  him,  and  that  he  also  knew  that  1  could  cast  him  out. 
I  replied,  'If  you  know  that  I  can,  it  shall  be  done,'  and  then 
almost  unconsciously  I  rebuked  the  devil,  and  commanded  him 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  to  depart  from  him,  when  immedi- 
ately Newel  spoke  out  and  said  that  he  saw  the  devil  leave 
him  and  vanish  from  his  sight.  This  was  the  first  miracle 
which  was  done  in  this  Church  or  by  any  member  of  it,  and  it 
was  done  not  by  man  nor  by  the  power  of  man,  but  it  was 
done  by  God,  and  by  the  power  of  godliness :  therefore  let  the 
honor  and  the  praise,  the  dominion  and  the  glory,  be  ascribed 
to  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Spirit,  for  ever  and  ever.    Amen. 

"The  scene  was  now  entirely  changed,  for  as  soon  as  the  devil 
had  departed  from  our  friend,  his  countenance  became  natural, 
his  distortions  of  body  ceased,  and  almost  immediately  the 
spirit  of  the  Lord  descended  upon  him,  and  the  visions  of 
eternity  were  opened  to  his  view.  He  afterwards  related  his 
experience  as  follows: — 'I  now  began  to  feel  the  most  pleasing 
sensation  resting  upon  me  and  immediately  the  visions  of 
heaven  were  opened  to  my  view.  I  felt  myself  attracted  uj)  ward, 
remained  for  some  time  enwrapt  in  contemplation,  insomuch 
that  I  knew  not  what  was  going  on  in  the  room.  By  and  by 
I  felt  some  weight  pressing  upon  my  shoulder  and  the  side  of 
my  head,  which  served  to  recall  me  to  a  sense  of  my  situation 
and  I  found  that  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  had  actually  caught 
me  up  off  the  floor,  and  that  my  shoulder  and  head  were 
pressing  against  the  beams. ' 

'  'All  this  was  witnessed  by  many,  to  their  great  astonish- 
ment and  satisfaction  when  they  saw  the  devil  thus  cast  out, 
and  the  power  of  Grod  and  His  Holy  Spirit  thus  made  mani- 
fest. So  soon  as  consciousness  returned,  his  bodily  weakness 
was  such  that  we  were  obliged  to  lay  him  upon  his  bed  and 
wait  upon  him  for  some  time.  As  may  be  expected,  such  a 
scene  as  this  contributed  much  to  make  believers  of  those  who 
witnessed  it ;  and  finally  the  greater  part  of  them  became 
members  of  the  Church. 


250  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

"Soon  after  this  occurrence,  I  returned  to  Fayette,  Seneca 
county. 

"During  the  last  week  in  May,  the  before-mentioned  Newel 
Knight  came  to  visit  us  at  Fayette,  and  was  baptized  by  David 
Whitmer. 

"On  the  first  day  of  June,  1830  we  held  our  first  conference  as 
an  organized  Church.  Our  numbers  were  about  thirty,  besides 
whom  many  assembled  with  us,  who  were  either  believers  or 
anxious  to  learn. 

"Having  opened  by  singing  and  prayer,  we  partook  togethe 
of  the  emblems  of  the  body  and  blood  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;  we  then  proceeded  to  confirm  several  who  had  lately 
been  baptized,  after  which  we  called  out  and  ordained  several 
to  the  various  ofiices  of  the  Priesthood.  Much  exhortation 
and  instruction  were  given,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  was  poured 
out  upon  us  in  a  miraculous  manner — many  of  our  number 
prophesied,  while  others  had  the  heavens  opened  to  their 
view,  and  were  so  overcome  that  we  had  to  lay  them  on  beds 
or  other  convenient  places ;  among  the  rest  was  Brother  Newej 
Knight,  who  had  to  be  placed  on  a  bed,  being  unable  to  help 
himself  By  his  own  account  of  the  transaction,  he  could  not 
understand  why  we  should  lay  him  on  the  bed,  as  he  felt  no 
sensibility  of  weakness.  He  felt  his  heart  filled  with  love, 
with  glory  and  pleasure  unspeakable,  and  could  discern  all 
that  was  going  on  in  the  room ;  when,  all  of  a  sudden,  a  vision 
of  futurity  burst  upon  him.  He  saw  there  represented  the 
great  work,  which  through  my  instrumentality  was  yet  to  be 
accomplished.  He  saw  heaven  opened,  and  beheld  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  seated  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high; 
and  had  it  made  plain  to  his  understanding  that  the  time  would 
come  when  He  would  be  admitted  into  His  presence  to  enjoy 
his  society  for  ever  and  ever.  When  their  bodily  strength  was 
restored  to  these  brethren,  they  shouted  'Ho  sannah  to  God  and 
the  Lamb,'  and  rehearsed  the  glorious  things  which  they  had 
seen  and  felt,  while  they  were  yet  in  the  spirit."  * 

38.— It  will  be  seen  by  the  foregoing  extract,  that  after  the 
organization  of  the  Church,  the  Lord  raised  up  other  witnesses 


• History  of  Joseph  Smith,  Millennial  Star,  Vol.  iv.  No.  8.  page  116. 


OF  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  251 

to  His  work.  The  great  miracle  that  was  wrought  upon  Newel 
Knight,  and  that,  too,  before  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Church,  and  in  the  presence  of  some  eight  or  nine  of  his  neigh- 
bors, must  have  given  him  the  most  perfect  knowledge  of  the  truth 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon ;  and  it  must  also  have  been  a  convincing 
testimony  to  all  who  saw  him  ;  they  must  have  seen  the  differ- 
ence between  the  operation  of  the  two  powers ;  for  both  powers 
handled  him  in  a  most  miraculous  manner.  Under  the  operation 
of  the  first,  he  was  in  the  most  excruciating  pain :  but  the  devil 
being  cast  out  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  he  was  immediately 
filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit  and  with  joy  unspeakable,  and  was 
taken  up  by  the  Spirit  from  off  the  floor,  and  was  suspended 
in  the  presence  of  the  by-standers  for  some  time  with  his  head 
pressing  against  the  upper  floor.  This  great  manifestation  of 
the  power  of  Grod  in  contrast  with  the  power  of  the  evil  one, 
must  have  given  a  knowledge  to  those  who  were  present,  that 
Joseph  Smith  was  a  great  Prophet  and  Seer,  and  that  the 
Book  of  Mormon  was  a  divine  revelation.  For  the  satisfaction 
of  the  reader,  I  will  here  state  that  I  am  intimately  acquainted 
with  Newel  Knight,  and  have  heard  him  testify  many  a  time 
to  this  great  miracle.  I  also,  in  the  year  1830,  visited  Mr. 
Knight's  residence  in  Colesville,  and  heard  not  only  him,  but 
others  who  saw  this  miracle,  bear  their  testimony.  Mr.  Knight 
ever  proved  a  faithful  member  of  this  Church  until,  after 
wading  through  many  scenes  of  bloody  persecution,  he  was 
worn  out,  and  quietly  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  It  will  also  be  seen 
from  the  foregoing  extract,  that  at  the  first  conference  held  by 
this  Church,  on  the  1st  of  June,  1830,  that  many  others  saw 
the  heavens  opened  and  beheld  the  glory  of  God,  Among  the 
number  was  Newel  Knight.      "He  saw  heaven  opened, 

AND  BEHELD  THE  LORD  JeSUS  ChRIST,  SEATED  AT  THE  RIGHT 

HAND  OF  THE  MAJESTY  ON  HiGH."  This  was  not  a  dream, 
but  a  vision,  like  the  vision  of  Stephen,  who  on  the  day  of  his 
martyrdom  had  a  similar  view. 

39. — Hence,  after  the  rise  of  the  Church,  the  witnesses  of 
the  truth  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  began  to  multiply.  Now 
these  persons  who  saw  the  heavens  open,  could  not  themselves 
have  been  deceived.  They  must  be  either  wicked  impostors, 
or  the  Book  of  Mormon  must  be  a  divine  record ;  for  God 


252  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

would  not  open  the  heavens  to  confirm  a  soul-destroying  impo- 
sition. Can  any  man  prove  that  Newel  Knight  did  not  have  a 
great  miracle  wrought  upon  him  ?  Can  any  one  show  that  he 
was  not  caught  up  by  the  Spirit  and  suspended  in  the  air?  Can 
any  one  bring  any  testimony  that  the  eight  or  nine  witnesses, 
who  were  at  that  time  out  of  the  Church,  did  not  see  this  mir- 
acle as  testified  ?  Can  it  be  proved  that  those  who  testify  that 
they  saw  heaven  opened  are  false  witnesses,  and  that  they  did 
not  see  any  such  thing?  All  this  must  be  proved  or  else  no 
man  living  can  be  justified  in  saying  that  the  Book  of  Mormon 
is  an  imposition. 

40.— In  the  Fall  of  1830,  four  of  the  Elders  were  sent  on  a 
mission  to  the  extreme  western  frontiers  of  the  United  States, 
a  distance  of  some  twelve  or  fourteen  hundred  miles.  Having 
proceeded  about  four  hundred  miles,  they  tarried  a  few  weeks 
and  preached  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state  of  Ohio;  many 
believed  and  were  baptized,  among  whom  was  Sidney  Rigdon, 
a  celebrated  preacher  of  the  Campbellite  order.  The  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  was  again  poured  out  in  a  most  wonderful  manner, 
and  the  visions  of  heaven  were  opened  unto  many.  In  Decem- 
ber following,  Mr.  Rigdon  performed  a  journey  to  the  state  of 
New  York,  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  Joseph  Smith,  the  pro- 
phet. He  prolonged  his  stay  with  him  until  the  latter  part  of 
January,  when  he  returned,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Smith  and 
his  family.  The  Prophet  Joseph,  by  the  command  of  Grod, 
and  through  the  gift  and  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  translated 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  Sidney  Rigdon  assisted  him  as 
a  scribe  to  write  from  his  mouth,  as  it  was  given  by  the  revela- 
tions of  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  on  the  sixteenth  day  of  Febru- 
ary, in  the  year  of  our  Lord  eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-two, 
while  engaged  in  the  work  of  translation,  a  most  remarkable 
vision  was  shown  to  Joseph  Smith  and  Sidney  Rigdon.  They 
both  at  the  same  time  saw  the  heavens  opened,  and  beheld  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  on  the  right  hand  of  Grod,  they  were  filled 
with  the  Holy  Grhost,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone  round 
about  them :  they  heard  the  voice  of  Grod  the  Father  bearing 
record  to  them  of  His  Only  Begotten  Son :  they  saw  the  holy 
angels,  and  tlje  wonders  of  eternity  were  opened  before  them : 
they  saw  and  heard  many  things  unspeakable  and  unlawful  to 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  253 

be  uttered.  But  many  great  and  marvelous  things  they  were 
commanded  to  write,  while  they  were  yet  in  the  Spirit.  We 
here  insert  the  following  item : 

41. — "We  beheld  the  glory  of  the  Son  on  the  right  hand  of 
the  Father,  and  received  of  His  fullness;  and  saw  the  holy 
angels,  and  they  who  are  sanctified  before  His  throne,  wor- 
shiping God  and  the  Lamb,  who  worship  Him  for  ever  and 
ever.  And  now,  after  the  many  testimonies  which  have  been 
given  of  Him,  this  is  the  testimony,  last  of  all  which  we  give 
of  Him,  that  He  lives;  for  we  saw  Him  even  on  the  right 
hand  of  God,  and  we  heard  the  voice,  bearing  record  that  He 
is  the  Only  Begotten  of  the  Father — that  by  Him,  and  through 
Him,  and  of  Him  the  worlds  are  and  were  created,  and  the 
inhabitant's  thereof  are  begotten  sons  and  daughters  unto 
God."* 

42. — To  speak  of  the  hundreds  and  thousands  of  witnesses 
whom  God  has  raised  up  during  the  last  fifty  years,  would 
require  a  large  volume,  and  far  exceed  the  limits  which  we 
intended  for  this  series.  Let  it  suffice  to  observe  that  there  are 
now  on  the  earth  many  thousands  of  witnesses  to  whom  God 
has  revealed  the  truth  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  by  heavenly 
visions,  by  angels,  by  the  revelations  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
by  His  own  voice,  and  by  the  miraculous  gifts  and 
powers  of  His  kingdom.  This  great  cloud  of  witnesses 
know  with  the  greatest  certainty  that  the  Book  of 
Mormon  is  true :  they  know  it  with  as  much  certainty  as  the 
ancient  apostles  and  prophets  knew  their  respective  messages 
to  be  true.  The  nature  of  their  testimony  is  such  that  it  pre- 
cludes all  possibility  of  their  being  deceived  themselves.  Before 
mankind  can  be  justified  in  calling  these  thousands  of  witnesses 
impostors,  they  must  prove  that  none  of  them  have  seen  and 
heard  as  they  boldly  testify.  This  generation  have  more  than 
one  thousand  times  the  amount  of  evidence  to  demonstrate  and 
forever  establish  the  divine  authenticity  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon than  they  have  in  favor  of  the  Bible.  And  this  vast 
amount  of  evidence,  not  only  establishes  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
but  the  Bible  also,  as  it  existed  in  its  original.     Hence,  the 

* Doctrine  and  Covenants,  Sec,  xcii.,  par.  3. 


254  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

Latter-day  Saints  have  more  than  one  thousand  times  the 
amount  of  evidence  to  establish  both  the  Book  of  Mormon  and 
Bible  than  what  this  generation  have  to  establish  the  truth  of 
either,  exclusive  of  our  testimony. 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE  BOOK   OF  MORMON  CONFIRMED  BY  MIRACLES. 

1. — In  the  last  chapter  of  this  series,  we  showed  that  in  the 
origin  of  this  work,  the  Lord  confirmed  the  truth  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon  unto  many  witnesses  in  such  a  way,  and  by  such 
means,  that  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  have  been  deceived ; 
that  the  testimony  of  these  witnesses  stands  good  until  it  can 
be  refuted;  that  no  man  can  be  justified  in  rejecting  this  testi- 
mony until  he  can  show  that  it  is  false ;  that  it  can  only  be 
proved  false  in  two  ways,  first,  by  showing  directly  that  these 
witnesses  did  not  see  and  hear  as  they  testify;  second,  by 
showing  that  there  is  something  connected  with  the  nature  of 
the  message  of  which  they  testify,  that  is  unreasonable, 
unscriptural,  improbable  or  contrary  to  some  known  truth. 
Now,  no  one  has  ever  attempted  to  bring  any  direct  negative 
testimony ;  this,  indeed,  would  be  impossible,  unless  the  wit- 
nesses themselves  should  deny  their  former  testimony,  and  this 
they  have  not  done.  And  those  who  have  attempted  to  con- 
demn their  testimony  from  the  nature  of  the  message  itself, 
have  only  exhibited  their  own  weakness  and  folly.  Upwards 
of  fifty  years  have  passed  away,  and  no  man  has,  as  yet,  been 
found  able  to  prove  the  Book  of  Mormon  or  the  testimony  of 
its  witnesses  false. 

2. — We  will  now  speak  of  the^testimony  of  miracles.  God 
has  wrought  many  great  and  glorious  miracles  by  the  hands  of 
His  servants  in  confirmation  of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  We 
humbly  speak  of  these  things,  not  in  a  boasting  spirit,  for  we 
can  do  nothing  of  ourselves;  but  it  is  the  Lord  who  has  in  His 
infinite  mercy,  performed  many  great  and  mighty  works  among 


OF  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  255 

this  generation,  through  those  who  have  believed  on  His  name. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  miracles;  first,  those  wrought 
by  the  power  of  Grod ;  and,  second,  those  wrought  by  the  power 
of  the  devil.  When  Moses  was  sent  with  a  message  to  the 
Egyptians,  the  Lord  wrought  miracles  by  his  hand.  The  magi- 
cians also,  at  the  same  time,  wrought  miracles.  When  Moses 
cast  his  rod  upon  the  ground,  it  became  a  serpent;  the  magi- 
cians cast  their  rods  upon  the  ground  and  they  also  became  ser- 
pents. Moses  turned  the  waters  into  blood ;  the  magicians  did 
the  same.  Moses  brought  frogs  in  great  multitude;  the 
magicians  performed  the  same.  The  miracles  performed  by 
Moses  were  done  by  the  power  of  God ;  those  performed  by 
the  magicians  were  done  by  the  power  of  the  devil.  Some 
miracles  performed  by  Moses,  the  magicians  were  not  permitted 
to  perform  ;  but  as  far  as  the  Lord  suffered  them  to  do  miracles 
they  did  precisely  the  same  things  that  Moses  did.  The  witch  of 
Endor  performed  a  great  miracle,  in  bringing  up  Samuel  from 
the  dead,  by  the  request  of  Saul,  king  of  Israel.  If  this  woman 
was  possessed  of  an  evil  spirit,  then  we  are  forced  to  admit 
that  the  devil  has  great  power ;  for  she  was  enabled  through 
the  supernatural  power  by  which  she  was  influenced  to  detect 
Saul,  notwithstanding  he  came  to  her  in  disguise.  That  she 
actually  did  bring  up  Samuel  is  evident  from  the  conversation 
which  passed  between  Saul  and  Samuel:  moreover,  Samuel 
prophesied  to  Saul,  concerning  what  should  befall  him  and  all 
Israel;  and  the  next  day  the  prediction  was  literally  fulfilled.* 
It  seems  that  the  Prophet  Samuel  was  rather  displeased  at  being 
disturbed  from  his  quiet  resting  place ;  for  after  the  king  of 
Israel  had  bowed  before  him,  "Samuel  said  to  Saul,  why  hast 
thou  disquieted  me,  to  bring  me  up  ?  " 

3. — As  a  further  evidence  that  the  devil  can  work  miracles, 
Jesus  says,  "There  shall  arise  false  Christs,  and  false  prophets, 
and  shall  show  great  signs  and  wonders;  insomuch  that,  if  it 
were  possible,  they  shall  deceive  the  very  elect."  f  As  another 
example  of  the  fniraculous  power  of  the  devil,  we  are  informed 
that  the  man  who  possessed  a  legion,  had  been  often  bound 


-I.  Sam.  xxviii. 
-Matt.  xxiv.  24. 


256  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

with  fetters  and  chains,  and  the  chains  had  been  plucked 
asunder  by  him,  and  the  fetters  broken  in  pieces."*  The 
miracle  of  breaking  chains  and  fetters  is  equal  to  the  miracle 
wrought  by  Samson  in  breaking  new  withes  and  new  ropes,  f 
J  esus  says,  '  'Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord, 
have  we  not  prophesied  in  Thy  name?  and  in  Thy  name  have  cast 
out  devils?  and  in  Thy  name  done  many  wonderful  works? 
And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew  you :  depart 
from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity."  J  From  the  preceding  verses, 
taken  in  connection  with  this,  we  learn,  that  false  prophets  and 
such  as  should  say  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not  His  will,  but  work 
iniquity,  were  to  perform  wonderful  works,  and  make  great 
pretensions,  not  only  before  men,  but  before  the  Lord.  The 
devil,  therefore,  assists  those  who  work  wickedness  to  perform 
great  signs  and  wonderful  works.  If  the  present  translation 
of  the  Bible  be  true,  he  has  power  to  show  visions,  for  it  is 
said,  that  he  showed  our  Savior  "all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world,"  and  it  is" also  said,  that  "Satan  himself  is  transformed 
into  an  angel  of  light. ' ' 

4,  —John  predicts  that  a  certain  power  should  arise,  that 
should  do  "great  wonders,  so  that  he  maketh  fire  come  down 
from  heaven  on  the  earth,  in  the  sight  of  men,  and  deceiveth 
them  that  dwell  on  the  earth,  by  the  means  of  those  miracles 
which  he  had  power  to  do  in  the  sight  of  the  beast."  |  Imme- 
diately before  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  there  is  to  be  a 
general  gathering  of  the  nations  against  the  Jews  at  Jerusalem : 
these  nations  will  gather  into  the  valley  of  Armageddon  near 
Jerusalem,  after  which  the  Lord  will  destroy  them.  This  great 
movement  of  all  nations  against  the  Jews,  will  be  set  in  opera- 
tion by  the  means  of  wicked  miracles.  John  speaks  of  it  thus: 
"And  I  saw  three  unclean  spirits,  like  frogs,  come  out  of  the 
mouth  of  the  dragon,  and  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  beast,  and 
out  of  the  mouth  of  the  false  prophet.  For  they  are  the  spirits  of 
devils,  working  miracles,  which  go  forth  unto  the  kings  of  the 
earth,  and  of  the  whole  world,  to  gather  them  to  the  battle  of 


+ Mark  v.  4. 

I Judges  xvi.  9-12. 

J Matthew,  vii.  22,  23, 

g— Rev.  xiii.  13, 14. 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  257 

that  great  day  of  Grod  Almighty.  Behold  I  come  as  a  thief. 
Blessed  is  he  that  watcheth  and  keepeth  his  garments,  lest  he 
walk  naked,  and  they  see  his  shame.  And  He  gathered  them 
together  unto  a  place  called  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  Arm  ageddon.  "* 
The  reason  the  Lord  will  suffer  the  devil  to  work  miracles  to 
deceive  "the  kings  of  the  earth  and  of  the  whole  world,"  is 
because  they  will  previously  have  rejected  "the  everlasting 
gospel;"  therefore  the  devil  will  deceive  them,  and  lead  them 
on  to  destruction,  as  he  did  the  Egyptians.  This  same  power 
is  prophesied  of  by  Paul,  as  follows:  "And  then  shall  that 
wicked  be  revealed,  whom  the  Lord  shall  consume  with  the 
spirit  of  His  mouth,  and  shall  destroy  with  the  brightness  of 
His  coming;  even  him  whose  coming  is  after  the  working  of 
Satan,  with  all  power,  and  signs,  and  lying  wonders,  and  with 
all  deceiveableness  of  unrighteousnss  in  them  that  perish; 
because  they  received  not  the  love  of  the  truth,  that  they  might 
be  saved.  And  for  this  cause  God  shall  send  them  strong  delu- 
sion, that  they  should  believe  a  lie,  that  they  all  might  be 
damned  who  believed  not  the  truth,  but  had  pleasure  in 
unrighteousness. ' '  t 

5. — If  the  foregoing  quotations  be  correct,  we  see  that  the 
devil  has  power  to  create  serpents  and  frogs,  and  turn  rivers  of 
water  into  blood — that  he  has  power  to  reveal  strangers  who 
may  come  in  disguise,  and  raise  up  a  dead  prophet  to  converse 
with  men  here  on  the  earth — that  he  has  power  to  break  chains 
and  fetters — to  transform  himself  into  an  angel  of  light — to 
show  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  unto  Christ — to  perform 
great  signs  and  wonders,  and  call  fire  down  from  heaven — and 
finally,  his  power  is  to  be  so  wonderfully  manifested,  that  even 
"the  kings  of  the  earth  and  the  whole  world"  will  suffer  them- 
selves to  be  deceived  by  his  miracles,  and  be  blindly  led  to  the 
valley  of  Slaughter,  where  they  will  be  consumed  by  the 
brightness  of  Christ's  coming.  All  of  these  things  the  devil 
has  done,  and  will  do,  if  the  English  translation  of  the  Bible 
be  correct. 

6. — It  may  be  asked,  how  are  we  to  distinguish  between  the 
miracles  wrought  by  the  power  of  God,  and  those  wrought  by 


-Rev.  xvi.  13-16. 
-II.  Thess.  ii.  8-12. 


258  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITT 

the  power  of  Satan  ?  We  answer  in  the  language  of  Paul, 
"he  that  is  spiritual  judgeth  all  things."  But  as  the  greater 
part  of  the  world  are  not  spiritual,  we  will  point  out. other  rules 
by  which  to  distinguish  the  two  powers.  Wherever  miracles 
are  wrought  by  the  power  of  Grod,  there  will  be  found  a  true 
and  righteous  doctrine,  unmixed  with  error:  wherever  miracles 
are  wrought  by  the  power  of  the  devil,  there  will  be  found  more 
or  less  false  doctrine.  Wherever  miracles  are  wrought  by  the 
servants  of  Grod,  they  will  do  them  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  after  having  obeyed  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel :  when 
the  servants  of  the  devil  do  miracles,  if  they  pretend  to  do 
them  in  the  name  of  Christ,  it  will  be  found  by  examination 
that  they  have  not  obeyed  the  ordinances  of  Christ,  and  therefore 
he  suffers  the  devil  to  deceive  them ;  but  it  is  oftener  the  case 
that  they  do  not  perform  them  in  the  name  of  Christ,  neither 
in  the  way  that  He  has  appointed,  as  in  the  case  of  mesmerism, 
clairvoyance,  etc.  Those  who  do  miracles  by  the  power  of 
Grod,  generally  have  a  message  to  publish  to  the  people  by 
authority  from  God.  The  most  of  those  who  do  miracles  by 
the  power  of  the  devil,  pretend  to  no  message  whatever ;  or  if 
they  pretend  to  have  a  message  to  deliver  to  the  people,  it  will 
be  found,  on  inspection,  to  be  mixed  with  error. 

7. — Although  the  devil  can  work  great  and  wonderful  mir- 
acles, yet  there  is  always  something  in  connection  with  them  that 
will  enable  mankind,  if  they  are  sufficiently  humble,  to  discern 
that  they  are  not  of  God.  If  it  were  impossible  to  distinguish 
between  the  two  powers,  then  miraculous  evidence  would  be  no 
evidence  at  all  in  fayor  of  divine  revelation :  but  miracles  were 
considered  by  our  Savior  as  evidence  of  His  own  mission — 
hence,  He  says,  "I  have  greater  witness  than  that  of  John; 
for  the  work,  which  the  Father  hath  given  me  to  finish,  the 
same  works  that  I  do  bear  witness  of  me  that  the  Father 
hath  sent  me.  And  the  Father  Himself  which  hath  sent 
me,  hath  borne  witness  of  me."* 

Again,  Jesus  said,  "If  I  do  not  the  works  of  my  Father, 
believe  me  not ;  but  if  I  do,  though  ye  believe  not  me,  believe 
the  works,  that  ye  may  know  and  believe  that  the  Father  is  in 


+ John  V.  36,37. 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  259 

me,  and  I  in  Him."  Elsewhere  He  said  to  Philip,  "Believe 
me  for  the  very  works'  sake. ' '  And  in  another  place  He  said, 
''If  I  had  not  done  among  them  the  works  which  none  other 
man  did,  they  had  not  had  sin."  * 

8. — From  all  these  sayings,  and  many  others  of  a  similar 
nature,  we  learn  that  miracles  are  considered  an  evidence  in 
favor  of  the  revealed  truths  of  heaven,  and  therefore,  there 
must  be  a  wide  difference  between  the  manifestations  of  the  two 
powers :  this  difference  is  so  great,  that  no  person  can  be  justi- 
fied in  judging  wrongfully  in  [the  matter :  he  that  imputes  a 
miracle  of  evil  to  Grod,  or  a  miracle  wrought  by  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Grhost  to  the  devil,  commits  a  sin  that  will  not  be 
easily  forgiven.  Isaiah  says,  "Woe  unto  them  that  call  evil 
good,  and  good  evil ;  that  put  darkness  for  light,  and  light  for 
darkness. ' '  f  When  the  Pharisees  accused  Jesus  of  working 
miracles  by  Beelzebub,  he  immediately  tells  them  that  the 
blasphemies  against  the  Holy  Grhost  should  not  be  forgiven,  t  If 
miracles  were  not  intended  to  convince  men  of  the  truth,  Jesus 
never  would  have  upbraided  "the  cities  wherein  most  of  His 
mighty  works  were  done,  because  they  repented  not. ' '  But  He 
pronounced  a  heavy  woe  upon  Chorazin,  Bethsaida,  and  Caper- 
naum, because  they  had  rejected  the  mighty  works  which  He 
had  done  in  them,  and  said,  that  it  should  be  more  tolerable 
for  Tyre,  Sidon,  and  the  land  of  Sodom,  "in  the  day  of  judg- 
ment than  for  them."  |  All  these  examples  afford  ample 
evidence  that  the  two  supernatural  powers  can  be  distinguished 
from  each  other  with  the  most  unerring  certainty. 

9. — Miracles,  when  taken  alone,  are  no  evidence  whatever  of 
the  divine  mission  of  any  one ;  but  when  taken  in  connection 
with  a  pure,  holy  and  infallible  doctrine,  they  are  evidences  of 
the  strongest  kind,  and,  if  rejected,  will  bring  the  generation 
among  whom  they  are  wrought  under  the  greatest  condemna- 
tion. Many  prophets  have  been  sent  with  a  divine  revelation 
to  man,  who  have  never  wrought  any  miracles  confirmatory  of ' 
their  mission,  and  yet  the  people  were  condemned  for  rejecting 


+ ^John  X.  37,  38.— xiv.  11. 

t Isaiah  v.  20. 

t ^Mark  iii.  22-30. 

g Matthew  xi.  20-24. 


260  DIVINE  AUTHENnCETY 

their  testimony.  The  Prophet  Noah  came  prophesying  of  one 
of  the  most  universal  judgments  which  ever  befel  the  human 
race,  and  the  whole  world  were  condemned  for  rejecting  his 
prophecy ;  and  yet,  we  have  no  account  of  his  performing  any 
miracles.  Lot  was  sent  to  warn  his  kinsmen  in  Sodom  of  the 
terrible  judgment  about  to  be  poured  upon  the  city;  the  people 
were  condemned  for  not  listening  to  him,  and  yet  we  do  not 
read  that  he  performed  any  miracles.  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah 
came  with  a  divine  mission  to  Israel,  but  we  have  no  account 
of  their  performing  any  miracles  until  quite  a  number  of  years 
had  elapsed  from  the  beginning  of  their  mission ;  yet,  Israel 
were  condemned  for  not  receiving  their  revelations.  Ezekiel 
did  not,  at  first,  confirm  his  mission  by  miracles.  Zechariah, 
Malachi,  and  many  others,  did  not,  so  far  as  we  are  acquainted, 
establish  the  divine  authenticity  of  their  books  by  miracles. 
Jonah,  when  sent  to  the  great  city  of  Nineveh,  wrought  no 
miracles,  so  far  as  history  specifies,  that  were  visible  to  the 
people  of  that  city ;  yet,  they  received  his  message  as  divine, 
and  repented  because  of  his  preaching.  One  of  the  greatest 
prophets  that  was  ever  born  of  a  woman  did  no  miracles  to 
prove  his  divine  mission.  The  scripture  says  expressly  that 
"John  did  no  miracle  ;  "  ^  and  yet,  the  Scribes  and  Phar- 
isees rejected  the  council  of  Grod  against  their  own  souls  in 
rejecting  John's  mission. 

10. — If  Grod  has,  from  time  to  time,  sent  prophets  among 
men  without  confirming  their  mission  by  miracles,  and  has  con- 
demned the  people  or  generation  to  whom  they  were  sent, 
because  they  would  not  receive  their  testimony;  how  much 
more  will  he  condemn  a  people  or  generation  to  whom  He 
sends  a  message,  confirmed  by  miracles?  If  Sodom  and 
Gomorrha  were  condemned  for  rejecting  a  divine  message  with- 
out miracles,  how  much  greater  will  be  the  condemnation  of 
that  people  who  reject  the  still  greater  testimony  of  mir- 
acles ? 

11. — From  the  foregoing  we  learn,  that  a  prophet  may  be  a 
true  prophet,  and  yet  perform  no  miracles:  an^  therefore, 
those  who  have  the  wicked  presumption  to  say  that  they  will 

+ ^John  X.  4. 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  261 

not  believe  in  any  new  revelation,  unless  Grod  shall  confirm  it 
by  miracles,  are  taking  a  very  sinful,  dangerous  ground;  for  if 
such  wicked  characters  had  lived  at  the  time  when  God  sent 
messages,  unconfirmed  by  miracles,  they  certainly  would  have 
rejected  them.  We  are  persuaded  that  no  person  who  has 
read  the  scriptures,  and  who  has  the  fear  of  God  before  his 
eyes,  would  ever  dare  to  say  he  would  reject  everything  under 
the  name  of  new  revelation,  unless  God  would  establish  it  by 
miracles. 

12. — The  Lord  always  accompanies  His  word,  when  revealed, 
with  sufficient  testimony  to  prove  its  divine  authenticity, 
though  He  does  not  always  give  the  same  amount  of  evidence. 
He  judges  man  according  to  the  testimonies  which  He  gives ; 
where  much  is  given,  much  will  be  required ;  where  but  little 
is  given,  but  little  is  required ;  where  nothing  is  given,  nothing 
is  required, 

13. — As  we  have  already  stated,  the  Lord,  in  His  great 
mercy,  has  condescended  to  give  miraculous  evidence  to  estab- 
lish the  divine  authenticity  of  that  great  and  glorious  revela- 
tion— the  Book  of  Mormon.  Therefore  the  Book  of  Mormon 
is  established  by  far  greater  testimonies  than  many  books  of 
the  Bible,  which  were  not  confirmed  to  the  generation  in  which 
they  were  revealed  by  miraculous  evidence.  It  is  useless  for 
our  enemies  to  say  that  there  have  been  no  miracles  wrought 
confirmatory  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  when  there  are  tens  of 
thousands  of  people  who  can  and  do  bear  testimony  as  eye  wit- 
nesses to  the  contrary.  We  have  already  related,  in  the  last 
chapter  of  this  series,  the  first  miracle  that  was  wrought  in  this 
Church.  Out  of  the  many  thousands  that  have  since  been 
performed,  we  humbly  mention  the  following,  as  published  in 
the  Millennial  Star. 

14.— "a  great  miracle:    narrative  of  reuben 
brinkworth. 

"On  the  2nd  of  July,  1839,  I  entered  on  board  the  Terror^ 
Commodore  Sir  J.  Franklin,  being  then  about  to  set  out  on  a 
voyage  of  discovery  for  a  north-west  passage  to  India.  Upon 
returning  to  England,  we  landed  at  Bermuda  on  the  16th  of 
July,  1843,  and  in  the  afternoon  the  same  day  a  terrible 
thunder-storm  occurred,  in  which  I  was  suddenly  deprived  of 


262  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

my  hearing  and  speecli.  At  the  same  time  five  of  my  com- 
rades, viz.,  JohnEnnis,  William  Collins,  John  Rogers,  Richard 
King  and  William  Simms  were  summoned  into  eternity.  I 
remained  insensible  for  fifteen  days — perfectly  unconscious  of 
all  that  was  passing  around  me ;  but  upon  the  return  of  reason, 
came  the  dreadful  conviction  that  I  was  deprived  of  two  of 
my  faculties.  I  well  remember  the  period,  and  shall  for  ever 
continue  to  do  so — language  cannot  describe  the  awful  sensa- 
tions that  pervaded  my  mind  when  I  became  fully  sensible  of  the 
reality  of  my  condition.  I  will  here  remark  that  the  subject 
of  religion  had  never  troubled  my  mind ;  nor  did  the  calamity 
I  was  called  to  sufier  awaken  any  feeling  akin  to  it ;  never- 
theless I  felt  a  certain  feeling  of  gratitude  that  I  had  not 
met  with  the  same  fate  as  my  more  unfortunate  companions ; 
yet  I  must,  to  my  shame,  confess  that  it  was  not  directed  to 
the  Great  Disposer  of  all  events,  who  could  have  taken  my 
life  as  those  of  my  companions,  had  He  willed  it.  But  it  was 
not  His  design.  I  was  spared,  and  am  now  a  living  witness  of 
His  loving-kindness  to  the  most  abandoned  sinners,  if  they 
will  turn  and  seek  His  face.  At  that  time  I  was  about  ninteen 
years  old.  After  remaining  at  Bermuda  for  about  three  weeks, 
we  again  set  sail  for  England,  and  reached  Chatham  on  the 
14th  of  December.  I  remained  there  only  fourteen  days,  after 
which  I  went  to  London,  and  by  the  kind  assistance  of  some 
gentlemen,  entered  the  deaf  and  dumb  school  in  Old  Kent 
Road,  where  I  remained  for  ten  weeks,  but  not  liking  the  con- 
finement, and  being  from  home,  I  became  dissatified  and 
unhappy,  and  resolved  to  leave  it,  and  accordingly  did  so.  I 
then  went  to  Greorge  Lock's,  Oxford  Arms,  Silver  Street, 
Reading,  with  whom  I  lived  eighteen  months,  supporting 
myself  the  whole  of  that  period  upon  the  wages  I  earned  on 
board  the  Terror.  I  afterwards  went  to  Rugby,  not  to  remain 
there,  but  on  the  way  to  my  mother  at  Stroud,  Grloucester- 
shire. 

'  'I  will  here  relate  a  circumstance  of  cruelty  of  which  I  was  made 
the  sufi'erer :  being  thirsty,  I  stepped  into  a  public  house  to  get 
something  to  drink  ;  there  were  gentlemen  in  the  parlor,  who, 
seeing  that  I  was  dumb,  motioned  me  to  them,  and  put  many 
questions  in  writing,  which  I  answered  in  the  same  manner. 
While  I  was  thus  being  questioned,  one  of  the  men  went  out  and 
brought  in  a  policeman,  who  hauled  me  away  to  the  lock-up, 
in  which  place  T  was  kept  all  that  night,  the  next  day  and  fol- 
lowing night,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  second  day,  I  was 
taken  before  a  magistrate,  who  ordered  me  to  be  taken  to  a  doctor, 
where  i  underwent  an  operation,  namely,  having  my  tongue 
cut  in  two  places :  he  became  satisfied  that  I  was  both  deaf  and 
dumb,  and  then  I  was  discharged.  From  the  treatment  I  had 
received  I  was  determined  to  go  to  another  of  the  magistrates 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  26? 

of  that  town,  to  whom  I  related  by  writing  what  had  trans- 
pired. He  said  very  little  to  me,  more  than  that  he  would 
write  to  London  respecting  it,  and  I  have  since  heard  from  a 
gentleman,  that  the  magistrate  who  examined  me^  has  been 
removed  from  his  office.  I  then  continued  my  journey  to 
Stroud,  which  I  reached  without  any  other  inconvenience,  and 
remained  there  two  days.  I  then  went  to  Newport,  Mon- 
mouthshire, and  occupied  my  time  in  teaching  the  deaf  and 
dumb  alphabet  for  about  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  I 
became  acquainted  with  the  Latter-day  Saints.  At  that  time 
I  was  lodging  at  a  public  house,  kept  by  James  Durbin,  sign 
of  the  "Golden  Lion,"  Pentonwlle.  One  of  the  customers  of 
this  house  became  acquainted  with  me  and  prevailed  upon  me 
to  go  to  live  with  him  and  his  brother,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  Latter-day  Saints'  Church.  There  I  first  became 
acquainted  with  the  doctrines  taught  by  this  people,  by  read- . 
ing  and  by  the  means  of  the  finger-alphabet.  I  continued  to 
investigate  them  for  about  three  months,  when  1  felt  convinced 
of  the  truth  of  those  doctrines  which  have  since  become  so 
beneficial  to  my  temporal  and  eternal  welfare.  On  the  22nd  of 
September  I  had  been,  by  means  of  the  deaf  and  dumb  alpha- 
bet, conversing  freely  with  some  of  the  Saints,  and  had  fully 
determined  to  be  baptized  that  evening;  therefore  I  expressed 
my  desire  to  receive  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  and  was  taken 
to  the  canal  early  on  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  and  baptized  in 
the  name  of  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost ;  and  upon  my 
head  emerging  from  the  water,  I  heard  the  voices  of  persons 
upon  the  towinb  path,  and  this  was  the  first  sound  I  had  heard 
since  my  deprivation  upon  the  island  of  Bermuda,  in  1 843. 
With  my  hearing  came  also  my  speech,  and  the  first  words 
that  I  uttered  were — 'Thank  the  Lord,  I  can  hear  and  speak 
again  as  well  as  any  of  you. '  I  scarcely  need  state  my  own 
surprise  at  the  moment,  but  such  it  was,  and  it  appears  mar- 
velous in  my  own  eyes,  not  that  God  is  possessed  of  such 
power,  but  that  He  should  manifest  it  in  my  behalf.  I  have 
much  cause  to  praise  Him  and  glorify  His  holy  name,  for  in 
obedience  to  His  divine  commands,  I  not  only  received  the 
remission  of  my  sins,  which  I  esteem  above  all  earthly  bles- 
sings, but  also  the  removal  of  my  deafness  and  dumbness ;  and 
now  I  can  hear  as  distinctly  and  speak  as  fluently  as  I  ever  did, 
although  I  had  been  deprived  of  both  these  faculties  for 
upwards  of  five  years,  not  being  able  to  hear  the  loudest  noise, 
nor  to  use  my  tongue  in  speech. 

"There  is  a  mistake  in  the  Merlin  of  the  date  of  my  landing 
at  Bermuda:  it  should  have  been  1843  instead  of  1840.  The 
same  error  appeared  also  in  the  Millennial  Star^  No.  22.  Vol. 
10,  and  which  was  caused  by  extracting  the  account  from  that 
paper. 

11* 


264  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

"The    following    individuals    are    witnesses    to    my   bap" 
tism : 

"Henry  Naish,    ] 

"John  Roberts,    V  Members  of  the  Church. 

"John  Walden,  J 

"Jane  Dunbin,     ] 

"Thomas  Jones,    V  Non- Members. " 

"Jacob  Naish,     J 

THE  BLIND  HEALED. 

"bERRIEN,   MONTGOMERYSHIRE,    NORTH  WALES, 

May  23rd,  1849. 
"I  feel  it  my  bounden  duty  to  make  the  following  narrative 
known  to  the  authorities  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  to 
show  that  the  manifestations  of  the  power  of  God  attend  this 
Church  in  the  last  days,  as  it  did  the  Church  of  the  early 
Apostles,  viz:  My  daughter  Sophia  Matilda,  aged  eight 
years,  was,  in  the  month  of  May,  1848,  afflicted  in  her  eyes, 
she  soon  lost  the  sight  of  her  left  eye,  and  on  applying  to 
medical  aid,  instead  of  the  sight  being  restored  she  immediately 
lost  the  other,  the  surgeons  stating  that  the  pupils  were  closed 
and  feared  she  could  never  be  restored  to  her  sight.  I  was 
advised  to  try  an  eminent  surgeon  in  Shrewsbury,  in  the 
county  of  Salop,  where  in  June,  1848,  I  sent  her  and  her 
mother,  as  she  was  now  quite  blind,  and  the  poor  little  crea- 
ture's sufferings  were  indescribable,  though  the  Lord  enabled 
her  to  be  patient  in  her  afflictions ;  she  remained  in  Shrews- 
bury a  fortnight  but  found  no  benefit,  and  as  the  last  resource  to 
human  aid,  I  was  advised  to  send  her  to  an  eminent  occulist 
in  Liverpool,  Dr.  Neile,  under  whose  treatment  she  was 
relieved,  and  a  gradual  improvement  took  place,  to  our  great 
joy,  until  the  Autumn  of  the  same  year.  I  corresponded  with 
Dr.  Neile,  who  desired  me  to  continue  the  treatment  he  had  pre- 
scribed, but  it  was  all  to  no  purpose,  for  she  relapsed  into  the 
same  state  as  before  and  was  in  total  darkness  the  whole  of 
the  Winter,  suffering  acutely,  and  by  February  of  the  present 
year,  1849,  she  had  wasted  to  a  mere  skeleton,  when  my 
brother-in-law  paid  me  a  visit  previous  to  his  embarking  to 
California,  and  told  me  that  if  1  would  have  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  call  for  the  Elders  of  the  Church,  he 
believed  she  would  be  healed.  I  also  soon  was  enabled  to 
believe,  and  obeyed  the  command  of  St.  James.  The  Church 
put  up  their  prayers  for  us,  and  I  found,  thanks  to  the  Griver 
of  all  good,  some  improvement  ere  the  ordinance  was  per- 
formed. On  the  following  Sabbath,  Elders  Dudley  and  Rich- 
ards, from  Pool  Quay,  came  to  my  house,  performed  the  ordi- 
nance upon  my  child,  the  pain  soon  left  her,  and  she  was  soon, 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.      ^  "^  ^'  265 


by  the  power  of  God  and  the  prayers  of  the  faithful,  restored 
to  sight  and  health,  and  thanks  be  to  Almighty  God,  she  is 
still  in  the  enjoyment  of  these  great  blessings  ;  trusting  you 
will  rejoice  in  the  Lord  with  me  for  His  great  mercies  mani- 
fested to  me, 

"I  remain,  etc. 

"Henry  Pugh." 

"London,  June  9th,  1849. 

"Beloved  President  Pratt. — Not  only  has  the  power  of 
healing  been  manifest  upon  one,  but  I  can  say,  although  we 
have  not  been  organized  into  a  branch  one  year,  many  have 
been  healed.  I  will  take  the  liberty  of  naming  a  few  cases 
out  of  the  many :  Sister  Emma  Spiring  met  with  an  accident 
while  frying  some  meat :  the  pan  was  overturned,  and  the 
boiling  fat  went  into  her  eye  and  on  her  face,  and  from  the 
Friday  to  the  Sunday  she  could  not  see  with  the  eye.  ^  I,  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  anointed  her  with  oil,  and  laid  my 
hands  on  her,  and  the  moment  I  took  my  hands  oflF  her  head, 
she,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  assembly,  said  she  could  see, 
and  all  pain  was  gone. 

"Another  case  was  of  a  man  by  the  name  of  Greenham, 
who  had  lost  the  sight  of  one  eye,  I  anointed  him,  and  he 
received  his  sight,  and  has  since  come  into  the  Church,  and  is 
a  good  member  of  the  same. 

"W.  Booth." 

"68,  Devonshire  Lane,  Sheffield, 

July  10th,  1849. 
"April  20th. — President  Dunn  and  I  were  requested  to 
attend  to  the  ordinances  of  anointing  with  oil  and  laying  on 
of  hands  by  Brother  Jackson,  who  had  sore  eyes ;  he  had  lost 
the  sight  of  one  eye  ^.ompletely,  and  the  other  was  danger- 
ously affected,  but  after  we  had  attended  to  the  ordinance,  his 
sight  was  restored  immediately,  and  the  same  hour  he  walked 
through  the  town  looking  about  him.  He  was  afflicted  with 
the  same  disease  before  he  became  a  Latter-day  Saint,  and  was 
down  sixteen  weeks,  but  the  last  attack  he  was  restored  the 
third  day. 

"J.  V.  Long,  Presiding  Elder." 

HEALING  OF  ONE  BORN  BLIND. 

"Bristol,  November  25th,  1849. 
"Dear  President  Pratt. — As  you  were  so  kind  as  to  publish 
the  letter  I  sent,  dated  July  9th,  containing  an  account  of  the  mir- 
aculous power  of  God,  displayed  in  the  healing  of  Elizabeth 
Ann  Bounsell,  which  made  quite  a  stir  among  the  pious  Chris- 
tians of  this  city.     I  now  venture  to  write  to  you  again,  and 


266  DIVINE  AlTTHENnClTY 

say  that  the  above  circumstance  caused  many  to  call  at  the 
house  and  see  if  it  were  true.  And  upon  seeing,  many  rejoiced, 
others  mocked,  saying,  "She  would  have  got  well  if  the  Elders 
had  not  laid  their  hands  upon  her."  Among  the  latter  was 
one  would-he  great  man,  by  the  name  of  Charles  Smith  (who 
has  written  bl  flimsy  tract  against  the  Saints),  who  said  it  was 
not  enough  to  satisfy  him.  So  the  mother  took  another  of 
her  daughters,  and  put  her  upon  his  knee,  and  said,  "Sir,  is 
that  child  blind?"  And  after  he  had  examined  her  eyes,  he 
said,  "She  is."_  "Well,"  said  the  mother,  "she  was  horn 
blind:  and  she  is  now  four  years  old;  and  I  am  going  to  take 
her  to  the  Elders  of  our  Church,  for  them  to  anoint  her  eyes 
with  oil  and  lay  their  hands  upon  her ;  and  you  can  call  again, 
when  you  have  time,  and  see  her  with  her  eyes  opened ;  for  I 
know  the  Lord  will  heal  her,  and  she  will  see."  "Well,"  said 
he,  "if  she  does  ever  see,  it  will  be  a  great  proof "  Accord- 
ingly, the  mother  brought  the  child  to  the  Elders,  and  Elder 
John  Hackwell  anointed  her  eyes,  and  laid  hands  upon  her 
only  once ;  and  the  Lord  heard  his  prayer,  so  that  the  child 
can  now  see  with  both  of  her  eyes,  as  well  as  any  other  person. 
For  which  we  all  feel  thankful  to  our  Heavenly  Father,  and 
are  willing  to  bear  testimony  of  it  to  all  the  world. 

"Yours  in  the  kingdom  of  Grod, 

"George  Halliday." 
P.  S.     We,  the  father  and  mother  of  the  child,  do  here 
sign  our  names  to  the  above,  as  being  true. 

"William  Bounsell, 
"Elizabeth  Bounsell. 
"No.  12,  Bread-street,  Bristol." 

BONES  SET  THROUGH  FAITH. 

"EuMFORD,  May  1st,  1849. 
"Dear  Brother  Gibson. — At  your  request,  I  now  sit  down 
to  give  you  a  short  account  of  the  goodness  and  power  of 
God,  made  manifest  in  my  behalf  About  two  years  ago, 
while  working  at  my  trade  of  coach-builder,  while  assisting  in 
removing  a  railway  carriage,  I  dislocated  my  thigh,  and  was 
conveyed  home,  and  my  parents  not  being  in  the  Church,  and 
no  Elders  in  the  town,  (viz.  Sterling)  medical  skill  was  called 
in,  but  from  the  swelling  it  could  not  be  set.  I  was  again 
examined  by  a  Dr.  Jeffrey,  and  one  Taylor  of  Glasgow,  who 
said  that  a  kind  of  jeal  had  gathered  in  the  hip  joint,  and 
before  it  could  be  set,  this  must  be  removed  by  cuppin;  so  1 
was  cupped  with  twenty-four  lances  but  it  did  no  good,  and  I 
lingered  in  great  pain  for  three  weeks,  when  it  was  proposed 
that  I  should  again  be  cupped ;  but  I  was  determined  that  it 


I 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  267 

should  not  be ;  and  hearing  from  you,  that  Elder  Samuel  W. 
Eichards,  from  America,  was  coming  to  Sterling,  I  told  my 
friends  that  when  he  came,  they  would  see  the  power  of  God, 
and  I  should  be  healed.  Accordingly,  when  he  came,^  he 
anointed  me  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  the  bone  went  into 
its  place,  and  I  got  up  in  the  morning  and  went  to  my  work, 
to  the  astonishment  of  doctors  and  friends.  1  am  now  a  tra- 
veling Elder  and  have  a  great  deal  of  walking,  but  experience 
no  inconvenience  from  it.  I  can  get  a  dozen  witnesses  to 
attest  to  the  truth  of  this  cure,  both  in  and  out  of  the 
Church. 

"I  remain  your  brother, 

"James  S.  Low." 

"Leamington,  August  4th,  1849.  ^ 
"Dear  Brother. —While  visiting  the  different  branches  in 
this  conference,  I  find  that  the  power  of  our  Grod  has  been 
displayed  in  a  wonderful  manner,  and  that  the  Saints  have  great 
cause  to  rejoice.  Scores  can  bear  testimony  to  the  truth  of 
the  gospel,  for  signs  and  wonders  follow  them  that  believe.  The 
following  cases  of  healing  I  feel  impressed  to  send  to  you,  and 
if  you  should  deem  them  worthy  of  a  place  in  the  Star  you 
can  insert  them. 

'  'Sister  Sarah  Grorde,  resident  of  Maxstoke,  near  Coleshill, 
on  the  25th  of  September,  1839,  had  a  very  severe  confine- 
ment, which  left  her  in  a  low  and  afflicted  state,  and  for  the 
space  of  seven  years  and  a  half  was  almost  in  continual  pain.  Her 
blood  seemed  to  run  cold  within  her  veins,  for  she  was  scarcely 
ever  warm.  She  had  two  doctors  in  regular  attendance,  and 
sometimes  three,  and  also  applied  to  others ;  but  in  spite  of 
all  their  exertions  she  found  no  relief  She  wasted  in  flesh 
until  she  was  reduced  almost  to  a  skeleton ;  her  joints  were 
dislocated  from  the  time  of  her  confinement;  to  go  from  home 
was  impossible,  for  she  could  not  ride  without  great  pain,  and  it 
was  with  the  utmost  difiiculty  that  she  could  get  about  the 
house.  But  finally  a  small  tract  fell  into  her  hands  belonging 
to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  while 
reading  the  account  of  the  visitation  of  the  angel  to  our 
beloved  Prophet,  Joseph  Smith,  her  heart  was  filled  with  joy; 
the  Spirit  of  the  living  God  fastened  the  testimony  upon  her 
mind,  and  she  was  satisfied  that  the  day  of  Her  redemption 
was  nigh  at  hand,  and  believed  firmly  that  she  would  walk 
again.  At  this  time  she  was  ignorant  of  the  doctrines  that  we 
preached,  but  she  firmly  believed  that  God  had  raised  up 
Joseph  to  be  a  prophet  to  this  generation. 

"After  a  few  days'  investigation  she  was  baptized  by  Elder 
W.  Bramall  in  the  month  of  April,  1847,  and  when  she  was 
confirmed  he  told  her  that  she  should  be  healed  according  to 


268  DIVINE  AUTHENTTCmr 

her  faith.  This  promise  filled  her  heart  with  joy,  and  in  three 
weeks  from  the  day  and  hour  that  she  was  baptized  she  was 
able  to  walk  without  pain  ;  her  joints  which  had  been  weak 
for  so  many  years,  became  strong,  and  since  then  she  has 
enjoyed  herself  and  been  able  to  fulfill  the  duties  tha..  devolve 
upon  a  mother  with  a  large  family. 

"Also  her  son,  John  Gorde,  had,  when  nine  years  old,  the 
misfortune  to  dislocate  his  thigh.  The  medical  fraternity  were 
called  upon,  who  endeavored  to  set  it,  but  in  consequence  of 
it  being  swelled  so  much  they  were  not  able;  and  thus  it 
remained  for  the  space  of  eight  years,  and  so  powerful  was  its 
effect  upon  the  constitution  that  it  stopped  the  growth  of  his 
body;  his  leg  hung  loose,  so  that  he  could  turn  it  any  way  he 
pleased.  Finally  he  heard  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  in  one 
week  after  the  baptism  of  his  mother  he  was  immersed  in  the 
liquid  grave,  and,  wonderful  to  relate,  he  lost  his  lameness,  his 
body  began  to  grow,  and  from  that  time  he  has  enjoyed  good 
health,  and  from  appearance  no  one  would  suppose  he  had 
ever  been  feeble  at  all. 

"I  remain  yours  in  the  gospel  of  Christ, 

"Alfred  Cordon." 

"Nantyqwynith,  GtEORGEtown,  Merthyr  Tydfil, 

"September  14th,  1850. 
"Dear  President  Pratt. — I  enclose  a  testimony  of  a  miracu- 
lous case  of  healing,  which  has  taken  place  a  few  days  ago  in 
Abercanaid ;  I  saw  the  brother  in  his  affliction,  and  the  accom- 
panying testimony  he  bore  at  my  house,  more  than  two  milet 
distant  from  his.  I  send  it  to  you  with  permission  to  do  with 
it  as  you  think  proper. 

"Wm.  Phillips. 

'"'The  Testimony  of  David  Richards. 

"Merthyr  Tydfil,  Sep.  10th,  1850. 
On  Friday,  August  the  23rd,  1850,  at  about  eleven  o'clock, 
while  I  was  working  among  the  coal,  a  stone  fell  upon  me 
about  two  cwt.  I  was  carried  home  and  the  doctor  who  was  pre- 
sent said  he  could  do  nothing  for  me,  and  told  those  around 
me  to  wrap  me  up  in  a  sheet  that  I  might  die.  There  was  a 
lump  on  my  back  as  big  as  a  child's  head.  The  doctor  after- 
wards told  one  of  my  relations,  about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
that  I  could  not  recover.  Elder  Phillips  called  to  see  me,  and 
attended  to  the  ordinance  of  the  Church  for  the  sick,  and 
while  commanding  the  bones  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  they  came 
together,  making  a  noise  like  the  crushing  of  an  old  basket ; 
my  strength  returned,  and  now  I  am  able  to  go  some 
miles  to  bear  my  testimony  to  this  great  miracle.  The 
doctor  called  to  see  me  and  was  astonished,  and  said  in  the 
hearing  of  witnesses  that  my  backbone  was  broken ;  but  that 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  269 

it  now  was  whole,  and  that  I  was  now  recovering  as  well  as 
any  man  he  ever  saw.  Many  of  our  greatest  enemies  con- 
fessed that  I  was  healed  by  the  power  of  God,  and  while  com- 
ing here  to-day,  many  who  heard  of  my  accident  were  struck 
with  the  greatest  amazement.  But  I  thank  my  Heavenly 
Father  for  His  kindness  towards  me,  hoping  I  shall  live  to 
serve  Him  more  faithfully  henceforth  than  ever. 

"D.  Richards. 

"Morgan  Mills,      "John  Thomas,  \  w-.„_j,.„  n 
"Thomas  Rees,        "Henry  Evans,  J  VVi^nesses. 

LEPROSY  HEALED. 

"No.  9,  Guardian  Street,  Springfield  Lane, 

"Salford,  May  19th,  1849. 
"Last  Winter,  a  young  woman  addressed  me  in  the  Car- 
penter's Hall,  the  daughter  of  a  fustian  cutter,  named  Lea, 
residing  in  Cook-street,  Salford,  and  said,  her  .parents  were 
desirous  that  I  should  go  and  see  her  brother  who  was  very  bad 
with  leprosy.  I  went  in  company  with  one  or  two  of  my 
brethren.  I  think  I  never  saw  anything  so  bad  as  the  boy  was 
(the  small  pox  excepted);  the  whole  of  the  lower  part  of  his 
face  and  under  his  chin,  as  well  as  the  backs  of  his  hands  and 
wrists,  were  one  entire  mass  of  scabs  ;  indeed  you  could  not 
have  inserted  a  needle's  point,  they  were  so  thick.  He  was 
eight  and  a  half  years  of  age,  and  had  been  aiflicted  since  he 
was  six  months  old ;  they  had  him  at  the  Manchester  infir- 
mary and  the  Salford  Dispensary,  and  are  at  this  time  paying 
the  surgeon's  bill  who  attended  him  as  a  private  patient.  The 
surgeon  told  his  parents  he  could  do  nothing  for  him,  as  the 
disease  was  too  virulent  for  medicine  to  reach  it.  His  parents 
told  me  they  did  not  know  what  it  was  to  get  a  regular  night's 
rest  with  him,  and  that  it  frequently  took  three  hours  to  wash 
him.  The  first  night  we  went,  they  were  not  disturbed  during 
the  night,  and  in  three  weeks  he  was  entirely  free,  and  his 
flesh  was  renewed  like  that  of  a  young  child. 

"John  Watts." 

"Borland,  Fifeshire,  Scotland. 
"To  all  whom  it  may  concern.  This  is  to  certify,  that  I  was 
seized  with  a  disease  like  the  leprosy,  in  the  year  1837,  and 
tried  all  that  I  could  to  get  a  cure,  but  I  could  not,  and  all  the 
doctors  that  I  applied  to  could  do  me  no  good ;  and  it  con- 
tinued with  me  over  all  my  body  until  the  month  of  Septem- 
ber, 1843,  when  I  went  and  was  baptized  into  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,   by  WilHam  M'Farland, 


270  BIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

Elder  of  the  said  Church,  on  the  1st  September,   1843,  and 
that  same  night,  the  leprosy  left  me. 

"Jenet  Ktdd. 
["William  M'Farland, 
"Witnesses,  <  "James  Crystal, 

[  "Alexander  Ridd. 

"Derby,  September  Hth,  1849. 

"Another  remarkable  case  is  that  of  a  sister  in  this  town, 
named  Cumberland,  who  was  severely  afflicted  inwardly,  for 
eleven  years,  during  which  time  she  received  medical  attend- 
ance from  the  most  eminent  men  of  that  profession  ;  such  as 
Dr.  Heigate  of  Derby ;  Dr.  Robinson  of  Northampton ;  also 
under  the  care  of  the  Infirmary  Surgeon  of  Loughborough, 
but  all  to  no-  purpose ;  she  still  got  worse.  Some  said  it 
was  the  liver  complaint,  others  said  it  was  a  decline.  She  was 
also  outwardly  afflicted  with  a  disease  in  her  skin,  and  her 
body  full  of  sores  from  head  to  foot,  for  many  years.  Nothing 
seemed  to  do  her  any  good,  and  only  death  was  considered 
could  put  an  end  to  her  sufi'erings,  but  to  her  great  joy,  the 
latter  part  of  last  year  she  heard  the  Latter-day  Saints  preach- 
ing the  gospel,  and  she  believed  and  obeyed  the  same,  and  was 
soon  made  whole,  and  has,  from  that  time  to  this,  enjoyed  a 
goodly  portion  of  health  and  strength.  She  is  now  bearing 
testimony  of  the  power  of  God  bestowed  upon  her,  both  in 
word  and  person  to  all  around.  Numbers,  both  in  and  out  of 
the  Church,  are  witnesses  of  the  same ;  and  even  the 
unbelievers  in  the  gospel  cannot  help  but  acknowledge  that  it 
is  a  great  miracle.  I  might  write  for  hours  of  such  like  cases, 
but  forbear  at  present.  Concluding  with  the  words  of  Paul, 
'Our  gospel  is  not  in  word  only  but  in  power  and  much  assur- 
ance. ' 

"Asa  witness  of  the  same,  I  subscribe  myself  yours,  truly, 

'•John  Wheeler." 

"Shropshire,  Shemington,  near  market  Drayton, 

"September  9th,  1849. 
"Dear  President  Pratt.— In  June,  1848,  I  was  called  upon 
by  Sister  Walsh,  to  administer  to  her  daughter,  whose  head 
was  in  one  mass  of  sores,  so  that  she  could  not  turn  it  without 
turning  her  whole  body.  I  attended  to  the  ordinances,  and  in 
a  few  days  she  was  restored,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 

"Yours  in  the  gospel, 

"William  Hey  wood." 

RUPTURES  HEALED. 

"Clackmanan,  May  29th,  1849. 
"In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1848,  in  Clackmanan  branch, 
a  boy  of  about  six  years  of  age,  a  son  of  Brother  John  and 


OF  THE  SOOK  OF  MORMON.  271 

Sister  Margaret  Hunter,  who  had  been  given  up  by  all  medical 
men  as  incurable,  and  whose  disease  they  could  not  under- 
stand, and  who  was  reduced  in  consequence  thereof  almost  to 
skin  and  bone,  and  confined  to  bed,  was  administered  unto  by 
Elder  John  Sharp,  now  gone  to  America,  and  Elder  John 
Russell,  who  is  still  here,  who  anointed  him  with  oil  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  next  day  he  was  running  about 
in  good  health  and  has  continued  well  ever  since.  ' 
"Witnesses  to  the  above, 

"John  Hunter, 
"John  Russell, 
"Margaret  Hunter." 

"In  the  month  of  March,  this  year,  1849,  a  young  boy,  son 
of  Sister  Ann  Hunter,  in  Clackmanan,  who  was  sorely  afflicted 
with  rupture,  was  anointed  for  the  same  by  Elder  John 
Russell,  and  next  day  he  was  quite  whole,  and  still  continues 
so;  he  was  rather  more  than  three  years  of  age,  and  was  born 
ruptured. 

"Witnesses  to  the  above, 

"John  Russell, 
"David  Russell, 
"Ann  Hunter." 
"Wolverhampton,  January  29th,  1850. 
"Sister  Mary  Bolland,  aged  25,  and  residing  in  Pool  Street, 
Wolverhampton,  had  suffered  severely  from  a  rupture  ever 
since  her  confinement  in  the  autumn  of  1847,  uotil  her  bap- 
tism by  Elder  Richard  Ramsell,  on  the  7th  of  December, 
1849.     She  had,  up  to  the  time  of  her  baptism,  been  accus- 
tomed to  wear  a  truss,  or  some  such  instrument,   whereby  she 
was  enabled  to  get  about  with  safety,  but  this  she  took  o& 
before  she  entered  the  water,  and  has  ever  since  dispensed 
with  it  entirely,  having  been  perfectly  healed  in  the  act  of  bap- 
tism ;  in  testimony  of  this  the  undersigned  witnesses  subscribe 
their  names,  at  the  same  time  expressing  their  gratitude  to 
Almighty  Grod  for  this  and  the  many  other  manifestations  of 
His  goodness  which  we  all  from  time  to  time  experience. 

"Yours,  etc., 

"James  Bell. 
Witnesses,        "Mary  Bolland, 

"Sarah  Hutchemoe, 
"Olivia  Saters. 

FEVERS  REBUKED. 

"Wood  Mill  Street,  Dunfermline, 

"FiPESHiRE,  Scotland. 
"To  all  whom  it  may  concern.    This  is  to  certify,  that  I  was 
in  Borland  on  the  8th  of  January,  1849,  and  there  was  a  girl 
la 


2,2  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

by  the  name  of  Catherine  Kidd,  lying  very  bad  with  a  fever, 
and  was  at  the  point  of  death,  and  there  was  part  of  her  dead 
clothes  made,  waiting  every  moment  when  the  breath  would 
leave  her;  so  I  was  called  to  see  her  and  I  went;  and  they 
asked  me  if  I  would  attend  to  the  ordinance  of  the  Church 
with  her,  and  I  said  that  I  would :  so  in  company  with  Elder 
MTarland,  I  anointed  her  with  oil,  and  laid  hands  on  her,  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ ;  aod  when  I  bad  done,  I  told  them 
that  she  would  get  better,  and  the  people  that  were  in  the 
house,  said  if  she  did,  it  would  be  a  miracle ;  so  from  that 
hour  she  did  get  better,  and  the  dead  clothes  were  laid  aside. 
Now  lor  this,  to  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ,  be  all  the 
honor  and  glory,  both  now  and  forever.  Amen. 

"William  Athole  Macmaster. 
Witnesses,  "Willam  M'Farland, 

"Mrs.  M'Farland." 

"Sheffield,  June  28th,  1849. 
"Under  date  of  May  2nd,  1847.— Was  sent  for  by  Mrs. 
Rodger,  to  lay  hands  on  her  daughter,  who  had  been  given  up 
by  the  doctors.  The  complaint  was  the  typhus  fever;  she  was 
reduced  to  a  complete  skeleton,  her  bones  were  ready  to  come 
through  the  skin,  and  her  body  had  many  large  sores  upon  it; 
I  never  saw  such  an  object  of  pity  before.  Before  administer- 
ing the  ordinance,  I  preached  the  gospel  to  them,  for  they 
were  out  of  the  Church.  I  called  on  them  all  to  kneel  down, 
then  gave  her  some  oil  internally  and  laid  hands  on  her  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  and  rebuked  the  disease  ;  and  while  I  had 
my  hands  on  her  head  I  saw  her  well  and  walking  about  as  one 
of  the  most  healthy  and  blooming  girls  in  that  place.  She 
commenced  to  amend  immediately;  she  slept  safely  and  soundly 
that  night  and  in  the  morning  wanted  her  breakfast.  It  came 
to  pass  as  I  saw  it.  Her  mother  came  into  the  Church,  but 
her  father  remains  an  enemy  to  this  to  work  this  day. 
"With  due  respect,  I  am  yours, 

"Hezekiah  Mitchell. 

"68,  Devonshire  Lane,  Sheffield, 

May  18th,  1849. 
"A  little  girl,  the  daughter  of  Brother  and  Sister  Bolyn, 
Pinstone  Street,  was  seized  with  the  scarlet  fever ;  the  mother 
was  afraid  and  fetched  the  doctor,  who  prepared  a  decoction 
for  the  child  to  take,  but  when  the  father  came  home,  he  put 
the  medicine  away,  and  procured  some  olive  oil  which 
was  consecrated  by  Elders  Dunn,  Burgess  and  myself, 
and  was  then  administered  by  the  father,  and  the  disease 
left  her  that  same  hour;  their  little  boy  was  then  seized 
with  the  same  kind  of  fever;    when   the    doctor   came  in 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  273 

to  see  the  little  girl,  he  saw  her  playing  about  with  the 
children,  and  said,  "Why,  she  is  better!"  "Yes,  sir," 
said  the  mother,  "and  now  the  little  boy's  begun."  "Have 
you  given  the  little  girl  all  the  medicine  ?  "  "No,  sir,"  '0 
well,  continue  to  give  the  boy  the  same  medicine  and  he  will 
soon  be  better."  They  attended  to  the  ordinance  of  healing, 
instituted  by  our  Savior,  and  the  boy  was  restored  the  s^me  day; 
another  of  the  family  was  then  seized,  and  they  admmistered 
the  same  medicine  (olive  oil)  which  procured  an  instantaneous 
cure. 

"Yours  in  the  true  covenant, 
"J.  V.  Long,  Presiding  Elder." 

"Cheltenham,  August  5th,  1849. 
.  "Dear  Brother  Pratt.— I  write  to  inform  you  of  two  remark- 
able cases  of  healing  which  took  place  in  the  village  of  Barrow, 
in  the  county  of  Gloucester. 

"First.  A  young  female,  by  the  name  of  Mary  Bayliss,  was 
very  violently  seized  with  the  black  fever,  so  that  she  was  not 
expected  to  live.  Brother  and  Sister  Bayliss  sent  for  a  servant 
of  God  from  a  neighboring  village,  called  by  the  name  of 
George  Curtis,  who  came  and  prayed  for  and  laid  hands 
upon  her  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  she  was  healed,  and  the 
next  day  she  was  up,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  people.  This 
occurred  on  the  7th  of  June,  1848. 

"Second.  A  young  man,  not  a  member  of  our  Church,  was 
taken  ill  with  the  black  fever  so  violently,  that  all  human  skill 
was  of  no  avail.  The  doctor  informed  his  friends  that  he 
would  die  before  morning.  His  mother,  who  was  in  our 
Church,  sent  for  Brother  Curtis,  who  laid  hands  upon  him 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  and  prayed  for  him.  He  immediately 
began  to  recover  and  the  next  morning  he  was  walking  about 
the  house,  to  the  astonishment  of  his  friends  and  neighbors. 
In  three  days  he  was  able  to  go  to  work  in  the  fields,  rejoicing 
in  the  goodness  of  God.  He  has  since  joined  the  Church  of 
the  Saints,  and  bears  a  faithful  testimony  to  the  healing  power 
of  the  gospel.  Believe  me  to  be,  dear  brother,  yours  sincerely 
in  the  cause  of  truth, 

"John  Alder." 

"St.  Helters,  August  5th, 
"Sent  for  to  visit  Brother  Feron's  child.     Found  her  raving 
in  a  strong  fever.  Administered  to  her.  The  fever  left  and  her 
senses  returned  five  minutes  after.     Next  morning  she  was 
running  about  the  doors. 

"Witnesses,  "John  Feron, 

"Theresa  Feron." 


2t4  DIVINE  AtJTHENTICITT 

A  CASE  OF  MIRACULOUS  HEALING. 

"Dundee,  Feb.  8th,  1850. 
"Dear  Brother  Pratt. — If  you  deem  the  following  worthy 
of  a  place  in  the  columns  of  the  Millennial  Star,  it  is  at  your 
disposal:  I  have  a  girl,  aged  three  years,  who  had  for  eighteen 
months  been  severely  afflicted  with  convulsive  fits,  to  the  loss 
of  all  the  powers  of  the  body  and  even  the  mind  seemed  in- 
the  thraldom  of  some  great  power.  I  had  tried  the  wisdom 
of  the  faculty  but  without  effect,  until  the  child  was  fearful  to 
behold,  almost  in  continual  convulsions  by  night  apd  day.  On 
the  25th  of  December  last,  Elder  Hugh  Findlay  called  and 
anointed  her  with  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  and  prayed  for 
her,  and  from  that  day  until  now  she  has  never  had  a  fit,  but 
has  increased  daily  in  strength  of  body  and  mind.  These  facts 
are  known  to  many  not  belonging  to  our  Church,  and  for  the 
truth  of  which,  witness  our  hands, 

"James  Davidson. 
"Maria  Davidson, 
"Hugh  Findlay." 

CHOLERA   HEALED. 

"Macclesfield, 

"September  28th,  1850. 

"Dear  Brother  Pratt. — I  am  happy  to  inform  you  that  I 
enjoy  excellent  health  and  good  spirits,  and  rejoice  in  the 
work  of  the  Lord  wherein  1  am  called  to  administer.  Many 
are  dying  in  this  town  of  the  cholera.  Many  of  the  Saints 
have  been  seized  with  the  destroying  pestilence,  but  all  have 
been  restored  to  health  and  strength  by  the  power  of  the 
Priesthood.  I  wish  to  forward  you  some  remarkable  instances 
of  healing.  Sister  Jane  Baity  was  seized  with  Asiatic 
cholera,  in  the  month  of  August.  When  I  was  called  to 
administer  to  her,  she  was  taken  with  cramp,  which  was  fol- 
lowed with  great  pain.  I  laid  my  hands  on  her,  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  holy  Priesthood  rebuked  the  disease  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ;  the  cramp  and  pain  immediately  left 
her,  and  she  was  restored  to  health  and  strength. 

"The  next  was  Brother  George  Galley:  he  had  a  violent 
attack  of  the  same  disease.  Elder  James  Galley  and  myself 
laid  hands  on  him  and  administered  oil,  and  he  was  immedi- 
ately restored.  The  next  is  Sister  Caroline  Parker,  who  was 
attacked  violently  with  the  same  disease  of  Asiatic  cholera. 
Some  of  the  neighbors  went  for  the  doctor,  who  pronounced 
it  a  desperate  case,  and  gave  some  advice,  after  which  her 
father,  Elder  Boyle  arid  Elder  James  Thirt,  laid  their  hands 
on  her  and  rebuked  the  disease,  to  the  great  astonishment  of 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  275 

the  doctor  and  the  neighbors;  for  when  he  came  the  next 
morning,  he  was  surprised  that  she  was  alive.  He  wished  her 
to  send  to  his  surgery  for  some  medicine,  but  she  told  him  she 
could  walk  there,  therefore  needed  none. 

"Sister  Ann  Markland  was  next  attacked  by  the  same  dis- 
ease. I  laid  hands  on  her  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
rebuked  the  disease,  and  she  was  immediately  re-tored  Her 
mother,  Margaret,  was  next  taken  with  the  disorder.  I 
administered  to  her  in  the  usual  way,  and  she  was  immediately 
restored.  The  next  was  Sister  Ann  Stubbs,  who  was  violently 
taken  with  the  same  complaint  on  the  17th  of  September. 
Elder  Francis  Sherratt  and  myself  administered  to  her,  and 
she  is  restored  to  health  and  strength.  These  are  but  a  few 
cases  where  the  power  of  Grod  has  been  manifested  in  this  con- 
ference, for  there  are  many  others  that  are  equally  signalized 
by  the  divine  power  and  blessings  of  God. 

"Joseph  Clements,  President  of  the  Macclesfield  Con- 
ference, 

"James  G-alley,  Secretary. 

"these    signs    shall    FOLLOW    THEM    THAT 

BELIEVE. ' ' — Mark  xvi. 

"10,  Henry  Street,  Park.  Sheffield, 
"September  9th,  1850. 

"Dear  Brother  Pratt. — While  reading  over  my  journal,  I 
have  felt  impressed  to  make  a  few  extracts  and  forward  the 
same  to  you,  that  if  you  think  them  worthy  you  may  insert 
them  in  the  Millennial  Star,  that  the  faith  of  the  Saints  may 
be  strengthened,  and  the  inquirers  after  truth  satisfied  that 
the  power  of  God  is  enjoyed  by  latter  SiS  much  as  it  was  by  the 
former  day  Saints. 

"August  14th,  1849.— I  was  called  out  to  see  Sister  Fowler, 
who  was  severely  afflicted  with  the  apparent  symptoms  of 
cholera ;  the  attack  was  so  severe  that  she  was  incapable  of 
being  removed  from  the  couch  on  which  she  lay,  her  speech 
was  gone,  a  kind  of  whisper  was  the  only  medium  through 
which  her  ideas  could  be  obtained.  At  her  request  Elder 
Hardy  and  I  attended  to  the  ordinance  of  laying  on  of  hands, 
and  by  the  prayer  of  faith  we  rebuked  the  destroyer  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  disease  disappeared.  She 
rose  up,  her  speech  returned,  and  we  conversed  cheerfully 
together  on  the  gospel,  which  is  the  power  of  God  unto  sal- 
vation, to  the  Gentile  first,  and  then  to  the  Jew. 

"Sep.  4th,  1849. — Brother  William  Lamb  came  to  my  resi- 
dence, afflicted  with  rheumatics,  from  which  he  had  suffered 
three  years,  and  having  just  joined  the  Church,  and  got  to 
understand  the  promises,  he  felt  sure  the  Lord  would  heal 


276  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

him  through  my  administration,  although  he  was  sixty-two 
years  of  age ;  I  therefore  called  upon  Elder  Hardy  to  assist 
in  the  ordinance  of  laying  on  of  hands,  and  inimediately 
after  our  hands  were  taken  from  his  head,  he  arose  up  and 
bore  testimony  to  the  manifestation  of  the  power  of  God  in 
his  behalf,  declarn.z  that  all  pain  had  left  him,  and  he  fre- 
quently made  it  a  part  of  his  testimony  (before  he  went  to 
Zion)  to  tell  the  people  how  miraculously  he  had  been  healed, 
at  a  time  of  life  when  such  a  change  could  not  be  expected, 
except  through  the  power  of  Grod. 

"Oct.  27th,  1849. — I  was  taken  ill  with  hoarseness  and  inflam- 
mation of  the  lungs  ;  I  continued  to  get  worse  until  Friday, 
November  the  2nd,  when  the  erysipelas  broke  out  of  my  face 
and  head ;  my  head  and  face  were  swelled  to  an  enormous 
size,  my  appetite  was  gone,  and  my  suffering  hourly  increased. 
I  took  a  Uttle  herb  tea,  as  directed  in  Dr.  Coffin's  Guide  to 
Health,  but  1  continued  to  get  worse ;  on  the  3rd  my  suffering 
became  indescribable,  during  the  night  in  particular ;  I  had 
the  most  excruciating  pains  in  the  head  and  bowels ;  on  Sun- 
day morning,  the  4th,  my  throat  was  almost  stopped  up; 
many  of  my  friends  then  gave  me  up  to  die,  but  my  faith  was 
unshaken  in  the  promises  of  the  Almighty^  I  therefore  sent 
for  Elders  Dunn,  Hardy  and  Roper,  and  while  Elder  Dunn 
was  anointing  my  head  and  face,  all  inflammation  disappeared ; 
I  felt  the  pain  leave  as  fast  as  his  hand  passed  over  my  head,, 
for  the  power  of  God  drove  all  pain  and  disease  from  me,  and 
in  two  hours  the  old  skin  shel'ed  off  my  face,  and  I  have  been 
well  ever  since ;  and  I  hereby  bear  my  testimony  that  immedi- 
ately, on  olive  oil  being  applied  to  my  head  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  pain  left,  all  inflammation  ceased,  my  speech 
was  restored,  in  fact,  my  system,  lungs  in  particular,  seemed 
to  be  renewed,  for  I  have  preached  five  times  more  since  than 
I  had  before,  and  have  enjoyed  much  better  health. 

"Yours  faithfully,  in  the  new  covenant, 

"To  President  Pratt.  J.  Y.  Long." 

"KiRKHALL  Lane, 

"September  22nd,  1849. 
"Dear  Brother  Pratt— I  wish  to  inform  you  of  what  I  con- 
sider an  incontrovertible  proof  of  the  power  of  God.  On 
Sunday,  the  9th  inst. ,  Sister  Hart,  of  Bickershaw,  was  sick, 
and  had  the  usual  symptoms  of  cholera.  Brothers  Afflick 
and  Hill  laid  hands  on  her,  and  anointed  her  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  when  she  was  immediately  restored,  got  out  of  bed, 
and  joined  in  the  fellowship  meeting  and  bore  a  faithful  testi- 
mony to  the  power  of  God.  On  Tuesday,  the  11th  inst., 
Brother  James  Hart  came  for  me  to  go  and  administer  to  his 
two  children  who  were  very  sick.     I  went  with  him,  and  found 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  277 

them  suffering  from  sickness,  vomiting,  cramp  and  all  the 
usual  symptoms  of  cholera.  The  eldest,  three  years  old,  and 
youngest,  iburteen  months  ;  they  were  sreeching  in  agony.  I 
anointed  them  and  rebuked  the  disease  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  when  the  eldest  got  up,  and  before  we  were  aware  of 
what  she  was  about,  ran  to  her  grandmother,  without  shoes 
or  stockings,  to  tell  her  that  she  was  well.  They  then  con- 
fessed that  children  could  not  deceive,  but  that  it  was  the 
power  of  Grod.  Of  these  things  numbers  can  testify,  and  I 
trust  you  will  make  it  public  to  the  world.  Praying  that  the 
blessing  of  Grod  may  rest  upon  you,  and  all  the  Church  of 
God. 

"I  remain  yours  in  the  bonds  of  the  covenant, 

"Richard  Booth,  President  of  the  Leigh  branch.  ^ 

"P.  S.     These  are  only  two  out  of  the  numerous  cases  in 
this  branch.  R.  B." 

"Derby,  September  17th,  1849. 
"Beloved  Brother  Pratt. — On  Sunday  morning,  September 
2ndj  I  was  called  upon  to  go  and  administer  to  Brother 
Thomas  Parks,  a  young  man  of  this  town,  who  was  suffering 
under  a  dreadful  attack  of  the  cholera.  When  I  fiist  entered 
the  room,  which  was  about  ten  o'clock,  he  appeared  as  though 
every  breath  would  be  his  last,  having  suffered  much  in  cramps, 
purging  and  vomiting,  from  about  four  that  morning.  Shortly 
after  I  arrived,  Elders  Duce  and  Reed  came,  with  Priest 
Fisher.  We  consecrated  some  oil,  and  administered  to  him  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  as  soon  as  we  had  taken  our  hands 
off  his  head,  he  was  enabled  to  speak,  testifying  that  the  pain 
had  all  left  him,  and  began  to  praise  Grod,  the  giver  of  all 
good,  that  the  Priesthood  was  given  to  His  servants  by  which 
they  could  effectually  administer  to  the  children  of  men.  In  a 
few  moments  he  was  able  to  get  up  and  put  on  his  clothes;  we 
left  him  and  went  to  meeting.  We  went  again  to  see  him  at 
night,  we  found  him  free  from  pain  but  rather  weak;  we 
administered  to  him  again,  and  asked  for  God's  blessings  to 
attend  it,  and  on  Wednesday  night  following  we  found  him  at 
meeting,  strong  and  well,  bearing  testimony  of  the  power  of 
God  and  rejoicing  in  the  same.  Henry  Duce,  Thomas  Reed 
and  George  Fisher,  with  the  young  man's  parents  are  wit- 
nesses of  the  same,  and  truly  rejoice  in  the  blessings  of  Israel's 
God. 

"John  Wheeler." 

15 — The  few  cases  of  miracles  which  are  here  inserted,  are 
mentioned  that  the  reader  may  understand  that  the  faith  of 
this  Church  is  not  founded  upon  human  testimony  alone,  biit 
upon  the  power  of  God.      The  Latter-day  Saints  know  that 


278  DIVINE  AFTHENTICITr 

Joseph  Smith  is  a  true  prophet,  and  that  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon is  a  divine  revelation,  because  God  has  confirmed  the 
same  unto  them  by  the  miraculous  manifestations  of  His  power. 
The  Saints  among  this  nation  have  been  blessed,  more  or  less, 
with  the  miraculous  signs  and  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  by 
which  they  have  been  confirmed,  and  know,  of  a  surety,  that 
this  is  the  Church  of  Christ.  They  know  that  the  blind  see, 
the  lame  walk,  the  deaf  hear,  the  dumb  speak,  that  lepers 
are  cleansed,  that  bones  are  set,  that  the  cholera  is  rebuked, 
and  that  the  most  virulent  diseases  give  way,  through  faith  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  power  of  His  gospel.  These 
are  not  some  isolated  cases  that  occasionally  take  place,  or  that 
are  rather  doubtful  in  their  nature,  or  that  have  transpired  a 
long  time  ago,  or  in  some  distant  country ;  but  they  are  taking 
place  at  the  present  period ;  every  week  furnishes  scores  of 
instances  in  all  parts .  of  this  land ;  many  of  the  sick  out  of 
the  Church  have,  through  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the 
servants  of  God,  been  healed.  It  is  not  something  done  in  a 
corner,  but  openly,  and  tens  of  thousands  are  witnesses. 

16. — All  mankind  can  prove  for  themselves  that  the  Book 
of  Mormon  is  a  divine  revelation  by  obeying  its  principles; 
for,  if  they  will  do  so,  they  have  the  promise  of  certain  mir- 
aculous signs ;  and  when  they  themselves  receive  the  signs, 
they  will  know  for  themselves  and  no  longer  be  dependent  on 
the  testimony  of  others.  The  testimony  of  others  is  intended 
to  produce  faith  in  the  hearer,  and  not  a  knowledge ;  but  the 
signs  which  a  believer  receives  after  obedience,  give  knowledge: 
this  knowledge  qualifies  him  in  his  turn  to  bear  testimony ; 
and  thus  the  witnesses  multiply  in  all  parts  of  the  earth  where 
this  message  is  received.  If  Catholics,  Protestants,  infidels, 
Mahometans,  Jews  or  heathens,  will  obey  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, miraculous  signs  shall  follow  them,  and  by  thisth  ey  shall 
all  know  that  it  is  true.  If  the  Book  of  Mormon  be  false, 
God  would  not  confirm  it  unto  any  man  by  granting  unto  him 
the  signs,  therefore  all  men  would  know,  if  they  did  not 
receive  the  signs  after  having  complied  with  its  requisitions, 
that  it  was  false.     . 

17.— The  Book  of  Mormon  has  now  been  published  upwards 
of  fifty  years  during  which  time  many  scores  of  thousands 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  279 

have  believed  and  obeyed  it.  Now,  if  they  had  not  received 
the  promised  signs,  would  they  have  continued  to  believe  the 
work  year  after  year?  If  they  had  failed  to  receive  the 
promise,  would  they  not  have  pronounced  it  an  imposition  long 
ago  ?  Yes :  we  will  venture  to  say  that  if  the  believers  in 
the  Book  of  Mormon  had  not  received  the  promised  signs, 
there  would  not  have  been  found  in  five  years  after  it  was 
printed  one  solitary  soul  who  would  have  continued  to  believe 
in  its  divine  authenticity:  but  the  very  fact  that  tens  of 
thousands  do  remain  steadfast  in  their  belief  shows  most  con- 
clusively that  they  have  found  by  actual  experiment,  that  the 
promised  signs  do  follow,  and  therefore  that  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon is  of  divine  origin. 

18. — There  is  no  way  that  an  impostor  could  more  effectually 
destroy  his  own  imposition  than  to  promise  miraculous  signs 
to  those  who  would  believe  in  it ;  for  when  the  promise  was  not 
verified,  it  would  be  known  that  he  was  an  imposter.  We  here 
quote  an  extract  from  a  revelation  given  the  22nd  and  23rd  of 
September,  1832,  through  Joseph  the  Prophet  unto  the 
Apostles  in  this  Church :  '  'Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  what- 
soever place  ye  cannot  go  into  ye  shall  send,  that  the  testi- 
mony may  go  from  you  into  all  the  world  unto  every  creature. 
And  as  I  said  unto  mine  Apostles,  even  so  I  say  unto  you,  for 
you  are  mine  Apostles,  even  God's  High  Priests;  ye  are  they 
whom  my  Father  hath  given  me — ye  are  my  friends ;  therefore, 
as  I  said  unto  mine  Apostles,  I  say  unto  you  again,  that  every 
soul  who  believeth  on  your  words,  and  is  baptized  by  water  for 
the  remission  of  sins,  shall  receive  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  these 
signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe. 

"In  my  name  they  shall  do  many  wonderful  works ;  in  my 
name  they  shall  cast  out  devils ;  in  my  name  they  shall  heal 
the  sick  ;  in  my  name  they  shall  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind, 
and  unstop  the  ears  of  the  deaf;  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb 
shall  speak ;  and  if  any  man  shall  administer  poison  unto 
them,  it  shall  not  hurt  them ;  and  the  poison  of  a  serpent 
shall  not  have  power  to  harm  them.  *  *  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  they  who  believe  not  on  your  words, 
and  are  not  baptized  in  water  in  my  name,  for  the  remission  of 
their  sins,  that   they  may  receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  shall  be ' 


280  DIVINE  AUTHENTICnr 

damned,  and  shall  not  come  into  my  Father's  kingdom,  where 
my  Father  and  I  am.  And  this  revelation  unto  you,  and 
commandment,  is  in  force  from  this  very  hour  upon  all  the 
world."* 

If  Joseph  Smith  had  been  an  imposter,  he  never  would 
have  given  utterance  to  the  above  promise,  unless  he  were 
determined  to  immediately  overthrow  his  own  testimony  in 
relation  to  the  Book  of  Mormon ;  an  imposter  could  make 
such  a  promise,  but  he  could  never  fulfill  it.  Since  this  promise 
was  made,  tens  of  thousands  have  placed  themselves  in  a 
position  to  put  the  promise  to  a  test,  and  they  have  found  it, 
to  their  great  joy,  verified. 

19. — Let  us  next  enquire  how  many  evidences  we  have  of 
the  miracles  done  in  the  days  of  the  apostles.  The  New  Testa- 
ment was  written  by  eight  men,  six  of  whom,  namely, 
Matthew,  Mark,  Luke,  John,  Paul  and  Peter,  testify  as  eye- 
witnesses to  the  marvelous  works  wrought  in  their  day.  We 
believe  that  the  miraculous  power  of  God  was  manifested 
eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  because  six  eye-witnesses  in  the 
Church  have  thus  testified  in  their  writings.  Have  we  the 
same  amount  of  testimony  in  the  Church  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints?  If  so  then  the  Book  of  Mormon  has  just  as  good 
claims  on  our  faith  as  the  New  Testament.  We  have  already 
given  the  testimony  of  many  witnesses  ;  and  there  are  tens  of 
thousands  of  others  now  living,  that  bear  a  similar  testimony. 
Therefore,  this  generation  have  thousands  of  eye-witnesses  in 
favor  of  the  miraculous  gifts  and  powers  of  the  gospel,  con- 
firmatory of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  to  where  they  have  one 
confirmatory  of  the  apostolic  mission  in  ancient  times.  The 
six  writers  of  the  New  Testament  tell  us  of  many  that  were 
healed,  but  none  of  the  persons  healed  have  handed  down 
their  written  testimony  to  that  effect.  But  this  generation 
have  the  testimony  of  thousands  who  have  been  healed  of 
every  variety  of  sickness  and  disease.  If  we  had  the  testi- 
mony of  the  deaf  and  dumb,  and  blind  and  lame  that  were 
healed  in  ancient  times,  it  would  greatly  strengthen  the  testi- 
mony of  the  six  writers  who  have  related  such  marvelous 
occurrences.     What  evidence  have  this  generation  that  the 


• Doc.  and  Gov.,  sectiou  Ixxxiv.,  paragraphs  62-75, 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  281 

lame  man  who  sat  at  the  beautiful  gate  of  the  temple  was 
healed  ?  They  have  the  testimony  of  one  witness,  and  one 
only,  namely,  the  writer  of  the  Acts.  What  evidence  have  we 
that  the  apostles  spoke  in  tongues  on  the  day  of  Pentecost? 
The  writer  of  the  Acts  has  said  so,  and  we  believe  it  on  his 
testimony  alone.  Luke,  who  is  supposed  to  be  the  writer  of 
the  Acts,  has  told  us  that  Philip  wrought  great  miracles  in 
Samaria — that  twelve  mep  at  Ephesus,  after  their  baptism  and 
confirmation,  spoke  with  tongues  and  prophesied — that  Peter 
saw  a  vision — that  Cornelius  saw  an  angel — that  Ananias  and 
Sapphira  fell  dead — that  devils  were  cast  out — that  the  sick 
•were  healed  by  handkerchiefs  and  aprons  being  taken  to  them 
from  the  body  of  Paul — and  that  the  shadow  of  Peter  healed 
many :  but  all  these  things  are  believed  merely  on  the  testi- 
mony of  one  man  —the  writer  of  the  Acts. 

20. — Many  hundreds  of  the  servants  of  Grod  among  the 
Latter-day  Saints  keep  journals  of  their  travels,  and  of  the 
miracles  which  pa's  under  their  observation.  Hence  the  acts 
of  the  Apostles  of  the  ninteenth  century  are  recorded  as  well 
as  the  acts  of  those  in  the  first  century:  and  the  miracles 
recorded  in  the  latter-day  acts  are  just  as  worthy  of  being 
believed  as  the  miracles  recorded  in  the  former-day  Acts.  If 
the  testimony  of  Luke  can  be  depended  upon,  when  he  testi- 
fies of  miracles,  why  should  not  the  testimony  of  William 
Gribson,  J.  V.  Long,  Joseph  Clements  and  hundreds  of  others, 
be  depended  upon  when  they  also  testify  of  miracles? 

21. — Christendom  believe  in  former-day  miracles  because  it 
is  popular ;  they  disbelieve  in  latter-day  miracles  because  it  is 
unpopular.  Popularity  is  am'ong  the  most  of  men  the  grand 
test  by  which  all  doctrines  are  tried,  received  or  rejected. 
They  never  once  think  of  examining  the  evidence  on  which  a 
doctrine  is  founded  ;  but  the  great  inquiry  is,  have  our  great 
and  learned  divines  believed  in  it?  If  not,  it  is  at  once 
rejected.  It  is  popular  to  believe  in  ancient  Christian  miracles, 
though  only  testified  of  by  six  writers  of  the  New  Testament ; 
but  it  is  unpopular  to  believe  in  modern  Christian  miracles, 
though  testified  of  by  tens  of  thousands  of  living  eye-witnesses. 
So  it  was  among  the  Jews,  dead  prophets  were  very  much 
venerated  and  honored,  and  their  sepulchres  garnished,  while 


282  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

living  prophets  were  persecuted  and  put  to  death.  It  is  very 
popular  among  Christendom  to  believe  in  the  New  Testament; 
but  it  is  exceedingly  unpopular  to  believe  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, though  it  is  proved  to  them  by  a  thousand  times  more 
evidence  than  the  former. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

PROPHETIC    EVIDENCE    IN    FAVOR    OF    THE    BOOK    OP  MOR-' 
MON. 

l.—In  the  last  two  chapters  of  this  series,  it  has  been 
abundantly  proved  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  has  been  con- 
firmed by  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  by  the  ministry  of  angels,  by 
heavenly  visions  or  by  the  miraculous  gifts  and  powers  of  the 
Holy  Grhost,  unto  tens  of  thousands  of  witnesses.  The  Book 
of  Mormon,  therefore,  is  demonstrated  by  a  vast  amount  of 
the  most  incontestable  evidences  such  as  never  can  be  weakened 
or  overthrown  by  all  the  powers  of  priestcraft,  editors  and  the 
infernal  regions  combined.  It  may  be  ridiculed,  laughed  at, 
treated  with  contempt,  entirely  neglected,  or  persecuted  ;  but 
all  such  arguments  will  avail  nothing  in  the  day  of  judgment, 
only  to  bring  down  upon  those  who  reject  so  great  a  revelation 
still  greater  condemnation.  Having  deraonstrate(f  the  divine 
authenticity  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  we  might  with  propriety 
proceed  no  farther  in  search  of  evidences,  for  all  additional 
evidences  drawn  from  the  prophecies  or  any  other  source,  can 
only  at  the  most  be  additional  demonstrations  of  the  same  great 
divine  truth.  A  problem  in  geometry  after  having  once  been 
demonstrated,  cannot  be  made  any  more  certain  by  any  new 
process  of  demonstration ;  so  with  this  great  and  heavenly 
treasure— the  Book  of  Mormon ;  if  any  one  will  follow  the  steps 
of  demonstration  already  pointed  out,  they  will  know  with  the 
same  certainity  that  it  is  a  revelation  from  God,  that  a  geome- 
trician has  when  he  follows  the  rules  of  demonstration  in 
relation  to  any  particular  problem. 


Ot'  TitE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  283 

2. — The  revelator  John,  while  on  Patmos,  saw  the  restor- 
ation of  the  gospel  to  the  earth  ;  ^e  says,  "And  I  saw'another- 
angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  having  the  everlasting  gospel 
to  preach  unto  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to  every 
nation,  and  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  saying  with  a 
loud  voice,  'Fear  God,  and  give  glory  to  Him,  for  the  hour  of 
His  judgment  is  come  ;  and'worship  Him' that  made  heaven 
and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  the  fountains  of  waters.'  And 
there  followed  another  angel,  saying,  'Babylon  is  fallen,  is 
fallen — that  great  city-^because  she  made  all  nations  drink 
of  the  wine  of  the  wrath  of  her  fornication. ',"\  When  the 
gospelwas  committedunto  man  in  the  first  century,  it  was  not 
by  the  ministry  of  an  angel,  but  by  the  person  of  our  Lord 
Himself;  therefore,  John  had  no  reference  to  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel  in  the  first  century.  Our  Savior  commanded 
the  apostles  to  go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature :  this  mission  was  fulfilled  before  John  saw  this 
vision,  as  is  evident  from  Paul's  declaration  to  the  Colossians  : 
{i  23.)  "If  ye  continue  ,in  the  faith  grounded  and  settled, 
and  be  not  moved  away  from  the  hope  of  the  gospel,  which  ye 
have  heard,  and  which  was  preached  to  every  creature  which  is 
under  heaven,  wherefore  /,  Paid,  am  made  a  minister. ' '  At 
the  time  the  apostle  wrote  this  epistle,  it  seems  that  "every 
creature  under  heaven"  had  heard  the  gospel.  It  was  several 
years  after  this  that  John  "saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst 
of  heaven,  having  the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach  unto  them 
that  dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to  every  nation,  kindred,  tongue 
and  people."  From  which  we  learn  that  there  was  to  be 
another  period  after  the  first  century  when  the  gospel  should 
be  again  preached  to  every  creature. 

3.— We  have  already  proved  in  the  previous  ".'chapters  of 
this  series  that  immediately  after  the  first  century  the  whole 
earth  became  corrupted  by  the  great  "Mother  of  Harlots,"— 
that  apostasy  and  wickedness  succeeded  Christianity— that,  for 
the  want  of  new  revelation,  all  legal  succession  to  the  apostle- 
ship  was  discontinued— that  the  gifts  and  powers  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  ceased— and  that  the  Church  was  no  longer  to  be  found 
on  the  earth :  this  being  the  case,  all  nations  must  have  been 


-Revelation  xiv.,  6,  7,  8. 


284  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

destitute  of  the  everlasting  gospel  for  many  generations— not 
destitute  of  its  history  as  it  was  once  preached  and  enjoyed, 
but  destitute  of  its  blessings,  of  its  powers,  of  its  gifts,  of  its 
Priesthood,  of  its  ordinances  administered  by  legal  authority. 
During  this  long  period  of  darkness,  no  man  could  obey  the 
gospel  and  enjoy  its  blessings,  because  no  people  were  authorized 
to  administer  its  ordinances  legally ;  therefore,  in  order  that 
mankind  might  again  possess  and  enjoy  the  ordinances  and 
blessings  of  the  gospel,  it  became  absolutely  necessary  that  the 
apostleship,  with  every  other  authority  which  characterized 
the  Christian  church  when  it  was  before  on  the  earth,  should 
be  restored  among  men.  This  restoration  of  the  gospel  Priest- 
hood, with  all  its  gifts,  powers  and  blessings,  could  not  take 
place,  according  to  the  scriptures,  only  by  an  angel  coming 
from  heaven,  as  Saint  John  has  clearly  predicted. 

4. — That  the  nations  have  had  a  history  of  the  gospel,  con- 
tained in  the  few  books  of  the  New  Testament,  or  in  other 
words  that  they  have  had  a  history  of  what  another  people 
believed,  obeyed  and  enjoyed,  we  by  no  means  deny.  But 
that  the  nations  have  actually  obeyed  and  enjoyed  the  gospel 
for  themselves,  we  do  deny.  The  history  of  what  others 
enjoyed  is  a  very  different  thing  from  actual  possession  and 
enjoyment  for  ourselves.  The  history  is  but  a  dead  letter, 
unless  we  can  enjoy  the  same  things.  What  advantage  would 
it  be  to  a  hungry  man  who  was  ready  to  perish  to  read  the 
history  of  the  Savior's  feeding  three  thousand  on  loaves  and 
fishes?  It  would  only  serve  to  aggrevate  his  appetite:  he 
himself  must  have  food  or  perish  So  with  mankind  in 
regard  to  the  gospel :  its  history  is  one  thing,  its  enjoyment  is 
another.  To  read  the  history  of  others  feasting  on  gospel 
blessings  will  not  satisfy  the  craving  anxieties  of  our  souls  ;  to 
read  the  history  of  a  Christian  church  anciently,  is  calculated 
to  give  us  a  longing  desire  that  a  Christian  church  might  again 
be  restored  to  the  earth.  That  the  nations  might  not  despair 
of  ever  again  enjoying  the  gospel,  the  Lord  left  them  that 
glorious  assurance  that  the  gospel  should  again  be  made  mani- 
fest by  another  angel  flying  in  the  midst  of  heaven. 

If  there  were  a  nation,  kindred,  tongue,  or  people,  on  the 
whole  earth  that  already  possessed  and  enjoyed  the  gospel, 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  285 

there  would  not  be  the  least  necessity  of  an  angel  coming  with 
it ;  but  the  very  fact  that  the  everlasting  gospel,  when  revealed 
by  the  angel,  is  to  be  preached  'TO  EVERY  NATION, 
KINDRED,  TONGUE  AND  PEOPLE,"  shows  most 
clearly  that  every  nation  on  the  whole  earth  was  entirely  desti- 
tute of  it.  This  agrees  most  perfectly  with  what  we  have 
before  demonstrated :  all  people  being  without  it  the  angel 
restores  it  for  the  benefit  of  all. 

5. — The  Book  of  Mormon  contains  the  everlasting  gospel  in 
all  its  fullness ;  and  it  has  been  revealed  to  the  inhabitants  of 
our  earth  by  an  angel ;  it  was  by  an  angel  that  the  apostleship 
and  Priesthood  were  again  restored ;  it  was  by  an  angel  that 
men  were  called  and  ordained  by  the  holy  ministry,  and 
empowered  to  preach,  baptize  and  administer  all  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  everlasting  gospel,  contained  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon ;  therefore,  let  all  people  rejoice  for  the  gospel  is 
once  more  restored  to  the  earth  ;  let  the  nations  be  glad  that 
after  so  many  generations  of  darkness,  a  Christian  Church  has 
again  been  organized  upon  our  dark  and  benighted  globe :  let 
songs  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  ascend  up  before  God  among 
all  nations,  that  glad  tidings  of  great  joy  have  once  more  been 
sent  down  from  heaven — that  inspired  apostles  and  prophets 
have  once  more  been  sent  to  preach,  baptize,  and  show  unto 
man  the  way  of  salvation. 

6. — The  authority,  power  and  blessings  of  the  gospel,  hav- 
ing been  taken  away  from  the  earth,  because  of  apostasy  and 
wickedness,  could  only  be  restored  to  man  by  new  revelation, 
and  such  revelation  must  come  through  an  angel.  The  Roman 
Catholics  and  Protestants  do  not  pretend  to  any  such  restora- 
tion of  the  gospel  by  an  angel,  and  therefore  they  cannot  be  in 
possession  of  it.  The  only  people  that  do  testify  that  the  gos- 
pel has  been  restored  to  the  earth  by  an  angel,  are  the  Latter- 
day  Saints ;  therefore,  if  the  gospel  is  restored,  the  Latter-day 
Saints  are  the  only  people  to  whom  it  is  restored :  all  others 
testify  that  it  has  not  been  restored  to  them.  If  the  only 
people  who  do  testify  to  the  restoration  of  the  gospel  by  an 
angel,  be  impostors,  then  all  nations  must  still  be  in  darkness, 
without  the  gospel,  and  without  a  Christian  church,  and  must 
remain  so,  until  the  angel  is  sent  in  fulfillment  of  John's  pre- 


286  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITr 

diction.  The  gospel  is,  therefore,  with  the  Latter-day  Saints, 
or  else'it'is  nowhere  on  the  whole  earth.  But  when  the  angel 
restores  the  gospel,  he  must  restore  it  to  some  people ;  why  may 
not  the*Latter-day  Saints  be  that  people?  If  it  were  restored  to 
any  other  people,  would  the  nations  be  any  more  willing  to 
receive  it  than  they  are  now?  If  it  should  be  restored  in  the 
next  generation,  would  they  be  any  more  believing  than  the 
present  generation?  Is  there  anything  connected  with  the 
message  which  the  Latter-day  Saints  testify  that  an  angel  has 
restored,  that  proves  it  not  to  be  the  message  of  "the  everlast- 
ing gospel?  "  If  not,  then  all  people  who  resist  it  will  most 
assuredly  be  condemned  in  the  day  of  judgment  for  so 
doing. 

7. — It  is  to  be  expected  that  when  the  angel  restores  the 
gospel,  it  will  be  restored  in  fullness,  and  in  the  most  perfect 
simplicity  and  plainness,  so  that  every  point  of  the  doctrine  of 
Christ  shall  be  clearly  revealed,  and  expressed  in  such  language, 
that  no  two  persons  could  understand  it  differently.  Many 
things,  connected  with  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  are  not  clearly 
revealed  and  expressed  in  the  English  translation  of  the  Bible: 
this  is  owing,  as  we  have  already  shown  in  chapter  III.  to  the 
loss  of  many  of  the  inspired  writings,  and  to  the  rejection  of 
many  sacred  books  by  the  third  council  of  Carthage,  together 
with  those  which  have  since  been  rejected  by  the  Protestants  : 
and  also,  as  we  have  before  proved,  another  great  source  of 
error  is,  that  the  Greek  and  Hebrew  manuscripts,  from  which 
the  Bible  was  translated,  had  become  so  awfully  corrupted,  in 
almost  every  text,  that  the  translators  were  utterly  at  a  loss  to 
know  which  reading  was  correct.  All  these  things,  combined 
with  the  unavoidable  errors  of  an  uninspired  translation,  have 
rendered  the  English  Bible  extremely  uncertain  and  ambiguous. 
This  uncertainty  and  ambiguity  have  been  the  principal  cause 
of  all  the  divisions  of  modern  Christendom.  The  only  way  to 
remedy  this  great  evil,  is  to  obtain  another  revelation  of  the 
gospel,  free  from  all  the  corruptions  and  uncertainty  which 
characterizes  the  English  Bible.  Nothing  short  of  such  a 
revelation  can  ever  redeem  mankind  from  their  errors  of  doc- 
trine ;  nothing  else  can  be  an  infallible  standard  of  the  Chris- ' 
tian  religion ;  nothing  else  can  reclaim  them  from  divisions  and 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  287 

strifes ;  nothing  else  will  give  certainty  and  stability,  so  neces- 
sary to  the  happiness  and  salvation  of  man ;  and  nothing  else 
could  be  expected  in  the  revelation  of  the  gospel  by  an  angel. 
Such  a  revelation  is  the  Book  of  Mormon ;  the  most  infallible 
certainty  characterizes  every  ordinance  and  every  doctrinal  point 
revealed  in  that  book.  In  it  there  is  no  ambiguity — no  room 
for  controversy — no  doctrine  so  imperfectly  expressed,  that  two 
persons  would  draw  two  different  conclusions  therefrom.  Such 
a  revelation  was  greatly  needed,  and  such  a  revelation  the  angel 
has  revealed. 

8. — As  an  example  of  the  exceeding  great  plainness  in  which 
the  doctrine  of  the  gospel  is  revealed,  we  quote  the  teachings 
of  Jesus  Christ,  in  relation  to  baptism,  as  given  by  His  per- 
sonal ministry,  in  the  northern  part  of  South  America,  soon 
after  His  resurrection  : 

"And  it  came  to  pass  that  he  spoke  unto  Nephi  (for  Nephi 
was  among  the  multitude),  and  He  commanded  him  that  he 
should  come  forth.  And  Nephi  arose  and  went  forth,  and 
bowed  himself  before  the  Lord,  and  he  did  kiss  His  feet.  And 
the  Lord  commanded  him  that  he  should  arise.  And  he  arose 
and  stood  before  Him.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  I  give 
unto  you  power  that  ye  shall  baptize  this  people,  when  I  am 
again  ascended  into  heaven.  And  again  the  Lord  called  others, 
and  said  unto  them  likewise ;  and  He  gave  unto  them  power 
to  baptize.  And  He  said  unto  them,  on  this  wise  shall  ye  bap- 
tize ;  and  there  shall  be  no  disputations  among  you.  Verily  I 
say  unto  you,  that  whoso  repenteth  of  his  sins  through  your 
words,  and  desireth  to  be  baptized  in  my  name,  on  this  wise 
shall  ye  baptize  them  :  behold  ye  shall  go  down  and  stand  in  the 
water,  and  in  my  name  shall  ye  baptize  them.  And  now 
behold,  these  are  the  words  which  ye  shall  say,  calling  them 
by  name,  saying,  Having  authority  given  me  of  Jesus  Christ, 
I  baptize  you  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  (xhost.  Amen.  And  then  shall  ye  immerse 
them  in  the  water,  and  come  forth  again  out  of  the  water. 
And  after  this  manner  shall  ye  baptize  in  my  name,  for  behold, 
verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  the  Father,  and  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  G-host,  are  one ;  and  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father 
in  me,  and  the  Father  and  1  are  one.  And  according  as  I  have 


288  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

commanded  you,  thus  shall  ye  baptize.  And  there  shall  be 
no  disputations  among  you,  as  there  hath  hitherto  been ;  neither 
shall  there  be  disputations  among  you  concerning  the  points  of 
my  doctrine,  as  there  hath  hitherto  been ;  for  verily,  verily,  I 
say  unto  you,  he  that  hath  the  spirit  of  contention  is  not  of 
me,  but  is  of  the  devil,  who  is  the  father  of  our  contention, 
and  he  stirreth  up  the  hearts  of  men  to  contend  with  anger,  one 
with  another.  Behold  this  is  not  my  doctrine,  to  stir  up  the 
hearts  of  men  with  anger  against  one  another ;  but  this  is  my 
doctrine,  that  such  things  should  be  done  away."  * 

9. — Now,  we  ask,  how  any  one  could  err  in  regard  -to  the 
meaning  of  this  quotation  concerning  the  mode  of  baptism  ; 
no  two  meanings  could  be  drawn  from  these  definite  teachings. 
Every  other  point  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ  is  equally  as  plain, 
and  as  definitely  expressed  as  this,  so  that  there  is  no  possible 
chance  for  any  difi'erences  of  opinion  in  doctrine.  There  can 
be  no  question  raised  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  doctrine  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon  ;  therefore  all  who  obtain  a  knowledge  of  its 
divine  authenticity,  are  from  thenceforth  sure  and  certain  upon 
every  point  of  the  gospel :  and  thus  divisions,  strifes,  conten- 
sions,  and  all  the  evils  that  flow  from  a  diversity  of  opinions 
are,  among  the  Latter-day  Saints,  for  ever  done  away.  The 
wranglings  and  quarrels  about  the  doctrines  of  salvation,  which 
have  distracted  mankind  for  generations  and  ages,  can  have  no 
place  in  our  midst.  Among  us  new  revelation  has  taken  the 
place  of  human  creeds,  and  knowledge  has  taken  the  place  of 
opinion  and  guess-work,  and  the  result  thereof  is  union,  peace, 
and  eternal  life. 

10. — The  particular  period  when  the  angel  should  fly  with 
the  everlasting  gospel  is  expressed  in  a  part  of  his  proclama- 
tion ;  he  was  to  say,  "Fear  God  and  give  glory  to  Him,  for  the 
hour  of  His  judgment  is  come."  The  servants  of  Grod  are 
empowered  not  only  to  preach  "the  everlasting  gospel,"  but  to 
proclaim  to  all  nations  that  '"the  hour  of  god's  judgment 
IS  COME,"  It  is  the  eleventh  hour,  or  the  last  time  that  the 
Lord  will  prune  His  vineyard  ;  it  is  the  last  proclamation  of 
the  gospel  that  the  world  are  to  be  favored  with,  and  the  last 


-Book  of  Mormon,  New  Edition,  page  502. 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  289 

time  that  He  will  call  upon  them  to  repent ;  if  they  heed  the 
warning  they  shall  be  gathered  out  from  among  the  nations, 
and  be  saved ;  if  they  heed  it  not,  the  fierce  judgments  of  the 
Almighty  will  speedily  overtake  them.  Let  the  nations  know 
assuredly  that  "the  hour  of  Grod's  judgment  is  come,"  and 
that  they  have  only  one  way  of  escape,  and  that  is,  by  embrac- 
ing the  Book  of  Mormon,  which  contains  a  proclamation  of 
mercy  as  well  as  of  judgment.  Let  the  nations  hearken  to  the 
voice  of  mercy,  while  she  pleads  in  their  midst ;  let  them  bow 
their  stubborn  hearts,  and  forsake  all  their  evil  deeds,  before 
justice  shall  make  his  claim  ;  for  judgment  folio weth  quickly 
and  lingereth  not ;  the  hour  is  come,  and"  the  terrible  day  of 
the  Lord  is  at  hand— a  day  of  wrath  and  of  great  terror— a 
day  of  fierce  vengeance. 

IL — John  predicts  another  great  event  to  take  place  imme- 
diately after  the  proclamation  of  the  everlasting  gospel,  namely, 
the  downfall  of  great  Babylon.  After  the  first  angel  had  fin- 
ished his  mission,  he  says,  "And  there  followed  another  angel, 
saying,  Babylon  is  fallen,  is  fallen,  that  great  city,  because  she 
made  all  nations  drink  of  the  wine  of  the  wrath  of  her  fornica- 
tion." The  Revelator  has  told  us  what  Babylon  means  in  the 
seventeenth  chapter :  it  is  represented  under  the  figure  of  a 
woman,  called,  "the  mother  of  harlots  and  abomina- 
tions OF  the  earth."  In  the  first  verse,  this  woman  is 
represented  as  "the  great  whore  that  sitteth  upon  many 
waters,"  In  the  fifteenth  verse,  the  angel  said  to  John  that, 
"The  waters  which  thou  sawest,  where  the  whore  sitteth,  are 
peoples  and  multitudes,  and  nations  and  tongues."  The 
Roman  Catholic,  Grreek  and  Protestant  church,  is  the  great 
corrupt  ecclesiastic  power,  represented  by  great  Babylon 
,which  has  made  all  nations  drunk  with  her  wickedness,  and 
she  must  fall,  after  she  has  been  warned  with  the  sound  of 
"the  everlasting  gospel."  Her  overthrow  will  be  by  a  series 
of  the  most  terrible  judgments  which  will  quickly  succeed 
each  other,  and  sweep  over  the  nations  where  she  has  had  her 
dominion,  and  at  last  she  will  be  utterly  burned  by  fire,  for 
thus  hath  the  Lord  spoken.  Grreat,  and  fearful,  and  most 
terrible  judgments  are  decreed  upon  these  corrupt  powers — 
the  nations  of  modern  Christendom ;  for  strong  is  the  Lord 


290  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

Grod  who  shall  execute  His  fierce  wrath  upon  them,  and  He  will 
not  cease  until  He  has  made  a  full  end,  and  until  their  names 
be  blotted  out  from  under  heaven. 

12. — The  object  in  sending  "the  everlasting  gospel"  among 
the  nations  of  Babylon  is  to  save  a  remnant  by  literally  gather- 
ing them  out  of  her  midst.  St.  John  says,  "And  I  heard 
another  voice  from  heaven,  saying,  Come  out  of  her,  my 
people,  that  ye  be  not  partakers  of  her  sins,  and  that  ye 
receive  not  of  her  plagues ;  for  her  sins  have  reached  unto 
heaven,  and  God  hath  remembered  her  iniquities."  *  Hence, 
there  is  connected  with  the  great  message  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, "a  voice  from  heaven,"  commanding  the  Saints  to  come 
out  from  all  nations  as  fast  as  they  obey  the  gospel  message ; 
this  they  have  been  doing  for  these  many  years,  and  this  they 
will  continue  to  do,  until  the  work  of  gathering  is  fully  accom- 
plished. And  after  the  Saints,  who  are  the  salt  of  the  earth, 
are  gathered  out,  those  who  are  left  will  quickly  perish,  as  did 
Sodom  and  Gromorrha.  All  these  events  are  clearly  revealed 
in  the  Jewish  scriptures ;  they  are  also  clearly  revealed  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  which  comes,  saying,  that  the  time  is  at 
hand;  it  is  also  revealed  by  the  voice  of  God  from  heaven, 
and  by  the  ministry  of  angels  to  chosen  witnesses  sent  forth  to 
warn  mankind  for  the  last  time. 

13. — "The  everlasting  gospel"  has  been  committed  once 
more  to  the  inhabitants  of  our  earth  for  the  purpose  of  again 
organizing  the  Christian  church,  or  in  other  words,  the  king- 
dom of  God,  as  predicted  by  the  Prophet  Daniel,  who  said 
that,  "In  the  days  of  these  kings,  shall  the  God  of  heaven 
set  up  a  kingdom,  which  shall  never  be  destroyed :  and  the 
kingdom  shall  not  be  left  to  other  people,  but  it  shall  break  in 
pieces  and  consume  all  these  kingdoms,  and  it  shall  stand  for 
ever."  f  The  kingdom  of  God  set  up  on  the  earth  in  the  first 
century  of  the  Christian  era,  was  not  the  fulfillment  of  Daniel's 
prophecy.  His  prediction  reached  forward  to  a  much  later 
period  of  the  world,  namely,  to  the  time  when  the  angel  should 
bring  the  gospel — to  the  time  when  the  great  image,  represent- 


-Revelations  xviii.  4,  5. 
-Daniel  ii.  44. 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  291 

ing  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  should  be  complete,  from 
the  head  of  gold  to  the  feet  and  toes  of  iron  and  clay.  The 
kingdom  or  church  established  eighteen  centuries  ago,  does 
not,  by  any  means,  correspond  with  the  time ;  for  the  feet  and 
toes  of  Nebuchadnezzar's  great  image  were  not  then  in  exist- 
ence; indeed  it  was  many  centuries  after  that,  before  the 
Roman  empire  represented  by  the  legs  of  iron,  became  divided 
into  feet  and  toes.  But  Daniel  says  to  Nebuchadnezzar, 
"Thou  sawest  till  that  a  stone  was  cut  out  without  hands, 
which  smote  the  image  upon  his  feet,  that  were  of  iron  and 
clay,  and  brake  them  to  pieces"  (34  verse).  From  this  we 
learn  that  the  feet  and  toes  must  be  in  existence  before  "the 
Grod  of  heaven  sets  up  a  kingdom,"  represented  by  "the  stone 
cut  out  without  hands,"  otherwise,  the  stone  could  not  com- 
mence its  first  attack  upon  the  feet  and  toes,  and  break  them 
in  pieces. 

14. — The  nations  of  modern  Europe,  including  England,  and 
the  Grentile  nations  of  America,  compose  the  legs,  feet  and 
toes  of  the  image,  while  the  other  portions  of  the  image  will 
be  found  mostly  among  the  Asiatic  nations.  The  geographical 
position  of  the  image  is  from  east  to  west ;  its  head  is  found 
in  Asia,  and  its  toes  in  Europe  and  America.  When  the  king- 
dom of  God  is  set  up,  it  must  be  somewhere  near  the  western 
extremity  of  this  great  image,  for  the  toes  and  feet  are  first 
broken  by  it,  and  afterwards  all  the  other  portions,  from  which 
we  learn  that  its  advancement  is  from  west  to  east.  The  pro- 
gress of  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  has  been  from  east  to  west; 
the  progress  of  the  kingdom  of  God  is  from  west  to  east,  in  a 
retrograde  direction.  This  stone,  according  to  Daniel  ii.  45, 
is  to  be  "cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands."  "Cut 
out  of  the  mountain,"  signifies  its  location  before  any  part  of  the 
image  is  broken.  The  present  location  of  the  Latter-day  Church 
is  in  the  valleys  among  the  Rocky  Mountains :  this  appears  to 
be  its  appropriate  position,  according  to  prophecy.  The  stone 
is  to  be  '"'Gw.t  out  without  hands:"  this  signifies  that  it  is  a 
kingdom,  not  formed  by  the  will  of  man,  but  by  the  will  of 
God ;  human  wisdom  has  no  hand  in  its  formation;  it  is  "the 
God  of  heaven"  that  sets  it  up,  and  by  Him  it  will  be  sus- 
tained and  never  be  destroyed,  nor  broken  to  pieces,  nor  left  to 
other  people. 


292  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

15. — The  kingdoms  of  the  world  made  war  upon  the  Saints 
of  the  former-day  kingdom  and  prevailed  against  them,  and 
overcame  them,  and  rooted  them  out  of  the  earth,  so  that  the 
kingdom  no  longer  existed  among  the  nations ;  not  so  with  the 
latter-day  kingdom  ;  for  it  will  prevail  against  the  kingdoms 
of  the  world  until  they  shall,  as  Daniel  says,  "Become  like  the 
chaff  of  the  Summer  threshing  floors ;  and  the  wind  carry 
them  away,  that  no  place  shall  be  found  for  them  :  and  the 
stone  that  smote  the  image  shall  bacome  a  great  mountain, 
and  fill  the  whole  earth"  [Daniel  li  35).  And  then  shall  "the 
kingdom  and  dominion,  and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom 
under  the  whole  heaven,  be  given  to  the  people  of  the  Saints 
of  the  Most  High,  whose  kingdom  is  an  everlasting  kingdom, 
and  all  dominions  shall  serve  and  obey  Him"  [Daniel  vii.  27). 
The  events  predicted  by  Daniel  are  the  same  as  the  events  pre- 
dicted by  John;  Daniel  says  a  kingdom  shall  be  set  up;  John  tells 
us  by  what  means,  namely,  through  the  everlasting  gospel, 
revealed  by  an  angel :  Daniel  says,  when  the  kingdom  of  Grod 
is  set  up,  that  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  shall  be  broken  in 
pieces :  John  says,  that  when  the  everlasting  gospel  has  been 
restored  and  preached  to  the  nations  that  then  is,  "the  hour 
of  G-od's  judgment"— the  downfall  of  Babylon.  Both  of  these 
writers  beheld  the  same  great  events,  but  described  them  in 
different  language.  That  which  was  predicted  by  these  two 
inspired  men  is  now  being  fulfilled.  The  angel  has  appeared 
—the  gospel  is  restored— the  kingdom  is  set  up— its  location 
is  among  the  mountains,  and  shortly  the  balance  of  these  pre- 
dictions will  also  be  fulfilled  to  the  very  letter,  and  not  one  jot 
or  tittle  shall  fail,  until  the  earth  shall  rest  from  wickedness, 
and  "the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  become  the  kingdoms 
of  our  God  and  His  Christ." 

16. — In  the  Jewish  scriptures  there  is  no  prophet  who  has 
spoken  more  fully  and  plainly  concerning  the  great  events  of 
latter  times  than  Isaiah.  In  the  twenty-ninth  chapter  he  has 
clearly  predicted  that  a  certain  book  should  be  revealed— that 
the  deaf  should  hear  the  words  of  it— that  a  marvelous  work 
and  a  wonder  should  be  accomplished— that  Israel  should  be 
gathered  and  saved— that  the  poor  and  meek  should  rejoice- 
that  they  who  err  in  spirit  should  come  to  understanding— 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  293 

and,  finally,  that  the  wicked  should  all  be  destroyed.  In  the 
first,  and  part  of  the  second  verse,  the  Lord  threatens  Ariel, 
or  Jerusalem,  with  judgment :  he  says,  "Woe  to  Ariel,  to 
Ariel,  the  city  where  David  dwelt !  add  ye  year  to  year  ;  let 
them  kill  sacrifices ;  yet  I  will  distress  Ariel,  and  there  shall  be 
heaviness  and  sorrow."  After  the  Messiah  came  and  was 
sacrificed  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  the  Jews  continued  to  "kill 
sacrifices,"  when  they  should  have  been  done  away;  they 
added  "year  to  year"  to  the  law  of  Moses,  until  they  brought 
down  "heaviness  and  sorrow,"  and  great  "distress"  upon 
their  heloved  city.  The  Roman  army  encompassed  the  city — 
cast  a  trench  about  it,  and,  finally,  brought  it  down  "even  with 
the  ground."  The  principal  part  of  the  Jews  perished,  and  a 
remnant  was  scattered  among  the  nations,  where  they  have 
wandered  in  darkness  unto  this  day. 

17. — The  latter  part  of  the  second  verse  speaks  of  another 
event  that  should  be  similar  to  the  one  which  was  to  happen 
to  Ariel,  or  Jerusalem  :  it  reads  thus ;  "And  it  shall  be  unto 
me  AS  Ariel."  This  cannot  have  reference  to  Ariel  itself,  but 
it  must  refer  to  something  which  should  be  "^s  Ariel."  It 
would  be  folly  to  say  that  Ariel  shall  be  as  Ariel.  Therefore 
the  word  "it"  must  refer  to  a  nation  that  should  suffer  similar 
judgments  to  those  which  should  befall  Jerusalem.  In  the 
three  following  verses,  the  Lord  describes  more  fully  the  second 
event;  he  says,  "And  I  will  camp  against  thee  round  about, 
and  will  lay  siege  against  thee  with  a  mount,  and  I  will  raise 
forts  against  thee.  And  thou  shall  be  brought  down,  and 
shall  speak  out  of  the  ground^  and  thy  speech  shall  he  low  out 
of  the  dust,  and  thy  voice  shall  he  as  of  one  that  hath  a  fam- 
iliar spirit,  out  of  the  ground,  and  thy  speech  shall  whisper  out 
of  the  dust.  Moreover,  the  multitude  of  thy  strangers  shall  be 
like  small  dust,  and  the  multitude  of  the  terrible  ones  shall  be 
as  chaff  that  passeth  away  ;  yea,  it  shall  be  at  an  instant  sud- 
denly." These  predictions  of  Isaiah  could  not  refer  to  Ariel, 
or  Jerusalem,  because  their  speech  has  not  been  "out  of  the 
ground,"  or  "low  out  of  the  dust,"  but  it  refers  to  the  rem- 
nant of  Joseph  who  were  destroyed  in  America  upwards  of 
fourteen  hundred  years  ago.  The  Book  of  Mormon  describes 
their  downfall,  and  truly  it  was  great  and  terrible.     At  the 


294  DIVINE  AtTTHENTlClTY 

crucifiction  of  Christ,  "the  multitude  of  their  terrible  ones," 
as  Isaiah  predicted  "became  as  chaiFthat  passeth  away,"  and 
it  took  place,  as  he  further  predicts,  "at  an  instant  suddenly." 
Many  of  their  great  and  magnificent  cities  were  destroyed  by 
fire,  others  by  earthquakes,  others  by  being  sunk  and  buried 
in  the  dei)ths  of  the  earth.  This  sudden  destruction  came 
upon  them  because  they  had  stoned  and  killed  the  prophets 
sent  among  them.  Between  three  and  four  hundred  years 
after  Christ,  they  again  fell  into  great  wickedness,  and  the 
principal  nation  fell  in  battle.  Forts  were  raised  in  all  parts 
of  the  land,  the  remains  of  which  may  be  seen  at  the  present 
day.  Millions  of  people  perished  in  battle,  and  they  suffered 
just  as  the  Lord  foretold  by  Isaiah — "And  I  will  camp  against 
thee  round  about,  and  will  lay  siege  against  thee  with  a  mount, 
and  I  will  raise  forts  against  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  brought 
down,  and  shalt  speak  out  of  the  ground,"  etc.  This  remnant 
of  Joseph  in  their  distress  and  destruction,  became  unto  the 
Lord  AS  Ariel.  As  the  Roman  army  lay  siege  to  Ariel,  and 
brought  upon  her  great  distress  and  sorrow,  so  did  the  contending 
nations  of  ancient  America  bring  upon  each  other  the  most 
direful  scenes  of  blood  and  carnage.  Therefore,  the  Lord 
could,  with  the  greatest  propriety,  when  speaking  in  reference 
to  this  event,  declare  that,  "It  shall  be  unto  me  as  Ariel." 

18. — One  of  the  most  marvelous  things  connected  with  this 
prediction  is,  that  after  the  nation  should  be  brought  down, 
they  should  "speak  out  of  the  ground."  This  is  mentioned 
or  repeated  four  times  in  the  same  verse.  Never  was  a  pro- 
phecy more  truly  fulfilled  than  this,  in  the  coming  forth  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon.  Joseph  Smith  took  that  sacred  history 
"out  of  the  ground."  It  is  the  voice  of  the  ancient  prophets 
of  America  speaking  "out  of  the  ground;"  their  speech  is 
"low  out  of  the  dust;  "  it  speaks  in  a  most  familiar  manner 
of  the  doings  of  bygone  ages  ;  it  is  the  voice  of  those  who 
slumber  in  the  dust.  It  is  the  voice  of  prophets  speaking 
from  the  dead,  crying  repentance  in  the  ears  of  the  living.  In 
what  manner  could  a  nation,  after  they  were  brought  down 
and  destroyed,  "speak  out  of  the  ground?  "  Could  their  dead 
bodies  or  their  dust,  or  their  ashes  speak?  Yerily,  no  :  they 
can  only  speak  by  their  writings  or  their  books  that  they  wrote 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  295 

while  living.  Their  voice,  speech  or  words,  can  only  "speak 
out  of  the  ground,"  or  "whisper  out  of  the  dust"  by  their 
books  or  writings  being  discovered.  Therefore,  Isaiah  further 
Says,  in  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  verses:  "And  the  vision  of 
all  is  become  unto  you  as  the  words  of  a  book  that  is  sealed, 
which  men  deliver  to  one  that  is  learned,  saying,  read  this,  I 
pray  thee  :  and  he  saith,  I  cannot ;  for  it  is  sealed :  and  the 
book  is  delivered  to  him  that  is  not  learned,  saying,  read  this, 
I  pray  thee :  and  he  saith,  I  am  not  learned. ' ' 

19. — After  obtaining  the  Book  of  Mormon,  through  the  min- 
istry of  the  angel,  "out  of  the  ground,"  Mr.  Smith  transcribed 
some  of  the  original  characters  upon  paper,  and  sent  them  by 
the  hands  of  Martin  Harris,  a  farmer,  to  the  city  of  New 
York,  where  they  were  presented  to  Professor  Anthon,  a  man 
deeply  learned  in  both  ancient  and  modern  languages.  Mr. 
Harris  very  anxiously  requested  him  to  read  it,  but  he  replied 
that  he  could  not.  None  of  the  learned  have  as  yet  been  able 
to  decipher  the  characters  and  hieroglyphics  which  are  found 
among  the  ancient  ruins,  in  almost  every  part  of  America* 
The  written  language  of  ancient  America  is  a  sealed  language 
to  this  generation.  In  the  year  1841,  Professor  Anthon  wrote 
a  letter  to  an  Episcopal  minister,  in  New  Rochelle,  West- 
chester County,  near  New  York,  in  answer  to  an  inquiry  made 
by  the  minister  in  reference  to  the  words  or  characters  said  to 
have  been  presented  to  him.  Professor  Anthon' s  letter  was 
written  with  permission  to  publish  ;  its  avowed  object  being 
to  put  a  stop  to  the  spread  of  the  fullness  of  the  gospel,  con- 
tained in  the  Book  of  Mormon.  We  here  give  a  short 
extract  from  it,  taken  from  a  periodical,  entitled,  "The  Church 
Record,"  Vol.  I.,  No.  22. 

20. — "Many  years  ago,  the  precise  date  I  do  not  recollect,  a 
plai-nlooking  countryman  called  upon  me  with  a  letter  from 
Dr.  Samuel  L.  Mitchell,  requesting  me  to  examine  and  give 
my  opinion  upon  a  certain  paper,  marked  with  various 
characters,  which  the  Doctor  confessed  he  could  not  decipher, 
and  which  the  bearer  of  the  note  was  very  anxious  to  have 
explained." 

* 

13 


2%  DIVINE  AtJTHENTlCITt 

Here,  then,  is  the  testimony  of  the  learned,  that  a  man  did 
call  upon  him  with  "the  words  of  a  book."  But  thfe  learned 
professor  continues : 

"A  very  brief  examination  convinced  me  that  it  was  a  mere 
hoax,  and  a  very  clumsy  one,  too.  The  characters  were 
arranged  in  columns,  like  the  Chinese  mode  of  writing,  and 
presented  the  most  singular  medley  that  I  ever  beheld. 
Greek,  Hebrew  and  all  sorts  of  letters,  more  or  less  distorted, 
either  through  unskillfulness  or  from  actual  design,  were 
intermingled  with  sundry  delineations  of  half  moons,  stars 
and  other  natural  objects,  and  the  whole  ended  in  a  rude 
representation  of  the  Mexican  Zodiac  " 

21. — Professor  Anthon,  no  doubt  thought  that  this  state- 
ment would  militate  against  the  Book  of  Mormon  ;  but  we 
consider  it  a  great  acquisition  of  evidence,  confirmatory  of 
the  truth  of  that  book,  when  compared  with  the  dis- 
coveries of  the  glyphs  and  characters  among  the  ancient 
ruins  of  America.  The  celebrated  antiquarian,  Professor 
Bafinesquc,  in  speaking  of  the  glyphs  discovered  on  the 
ruins  of  a  stone  city  found  in  Mexico,  says : 

"The  glyphs  of  Otolum  are  written  from  top  to  bottom, 
like  the  Chinese,  or  from  side  to  side,  indifferently,  like  the 
Egyptian,  and  the  Demotic  Lybiaif  Although  the  most 
common  way  of  writing  the  groups  is  in  rows,  and  each  group 
separated,  yet  we  find  some  formed,  as  it  were,  in  oblong 
squares  or  tablets,  like  those  of  Egypt.'' ^* 

Two  years  after  the  Book  of  Mormon  appeared  in  print. 
Professor  Rafinesque,  in  his  Atlantic  Journal  for  1832, 
gave  the  public  a  facsimile  of  American  glyphs,  found  in 
Mexico.  They  are  arranged  in  columns,  being  forty-six  in 
number.  These,  the  learned  professor  denominates  "the 
elements  of  the  glyphs  of  Otolum,"  and  he  supposes  that  by 
the  combination  of  these  elements,  words  and  sentences  were 
formed,  constituting  the  written  language  of  the  ancient 
nations  of  this  vast  continent.  By  an  inspection  of  the  fac- 
simile of  these  forty-six  elementary  glyphs,  we  find  all  the 
particulars  which  Prefessor  Anthon  ascribes  to  the  characters, 


♦ Atlantic  Journal  for  1832,  by  Pro£  Rafinesque. 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  297 

which  he  says  "a  plain-looking  countryman"  presented  to 
him.  The  "Greek,  Hebrew  and  all  sorts  of  letters,"  invefted 
and  in  different  positions,  "with  sundry  delineations  of 
half-moons,"  planets,  suns,  "and  other  natural  objects,"  are 
found  among  these  forty-six  elements.  This  "plain-looking 
countryman,"  according  to  Professor  Anthon's  testimony,  got 
some  three  or  four  years  the  start  of  Professor  Rafinesque, 
and  presented  him  with  the  genuine  elementary  glyphs  years 
before  the  Atlantic  Journal  made  them  public;  and  what  is 
still  more  remarkable,  "the  characters,"  Professor  Anthon 
says,  "were  arranged  in  columns,  like  the  Chinese  mode  of 
writing,"  which  exactly  corresponds  with  what  Professor 
Rafinesque  testifies,  as  just  quoted,  in  relation  to  the  glyphs 
of  Otolum.  We  see  nothing  in  Professor  Anthon's  state- 
ment that  proves  the  characters  presented  to  him  to  be  a 
"hoax,"  as  he  terms  it;  unless,  indeed,  he  considers  their 
exact  resemblance  to  the  glyphs  of  Otolum,  and  their  being 
arranged  in  the  right  kind  of  columns— is  a  "hoax."  But  as 
Joseph  Smith  was  an  unlearned  youog  man  living  in  the 
country,  where  he  had  not  access  to  the  writings  and  discoveries 
of  antiquarians,  he  would  be  entirely  incapable  of  forging 
the  true  and  genuine  glyphs  of  Ancient  America  ;  therefore 
we  consider  this  testimony  of  Professor  Anthon,  coming  as  it 
does  from  an  avowed  enemy  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  to  be  a 
great  collateral  evidence  in  its  favor.  Professor  Rafinesque 
says,  as  we  have  already  quoted,  that  "the  glyphs  of  Otolum 
are  written  from  top  to  bottom,  like  the  Chinese,  or  from  side 
to  side,  indifferently,  like  the  Egyptian."  Now  the  most  of 
the  Book  of  Mormon  was  written  from  side  to  side,  like  the 
Egyptian.  Indeed,  it  was  written  in  the  ancient  Egyptian, 
reformed  by  the  remnant  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph. 

22. — Isaiah  says,  as  we  have  already  quoted,  that  "The 
vision  of  all  is  become  unto  you  as  the  words  of  a  book  that 
is  sealed,  which  men  deliver  to  one  that  is  learned,  saying, 
read  this  I  pray  thee:  and  hesaith,  I  cannot;  for  it  is  sealed." 
Mark  this  prediction  ;  the  book  itself  was  not  to  be  delivered 
to  the  learned,  but  only  "the  words  of  a  book;"  this  was 
literally  fulfilled  in  the  event  which  has  already  been  described, 
as  clearly  testified  of,  not  only  by  the  "plain-looking  country- 


208  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

man,"  namely  Martin  Harris,  but  by  the  learned  professor 
Anthon  himself. 

23.— But  Isaiah  informs  us  in  the  next  verse  (12)  that  the 
book  itself  should  be  delivered  to  the  unlearned ;  he  says, 
"and  the  book  is  delivered  to  him  that  is  not  learned,  saying, 
read  this,  I  pray  thee:    and  he  said,   I  am  not  learned.'' 
This  was  fulfilled  when  the  angel  of  the  Lord  delivered  the 
book  into  the  hands  of  Mr.    Smith  ;    though  unlearned  in 
every  language,  but  his  own  mother  tongue,  yet  he  was  com- 
manded to  read  or  translate  the  book.     Feeling  his  own  inca- 
pability to  read  such  a  book,  he  said  to  the  Lord,  in  the 
words  of  Isaiah,  "i  am  not  learned."    When  he  made  this 
excuse,  the  Lord  answered  him  in  the  words  of  Isaiah,  next 
verse  (13,  14),  "Wherefore  the  Lord  said,  forasmuch  as  this 
people  draw  near  me  with  their  mouth,  and  with  their  lips  do 
honor  me,  but  have  removed  their  heart  far  from  me,  and 
their  fear  toward  me  is  taught  by  the  precepts  of  men  ;  there- 
fore, behold,  I  will  proceed  to  do  a  marvelous  work  among 
this  people,  even  a  marvelous  work  and  a  wonder ;  for  the 
wisdom  of  their  wise  men  shall  perish,  and  the  understanding 
of  their  prudent  men  shall  be  hid."     What  words  could  bet- 
ter portray  the   powerless    apostate    condition    of    modern 
Christendom  than  this  description  ?  and  what  words  could  be 
more  descriptive  of  the  "marvelous   work  and  a  wonder," 
than  to  say  that  "the  wisdom  of  their  wise  men  shall  perish, 
and  the  understanding  of  their  prudent  men  shall  be  hid? 
What  could  be  more  marvelous  and  wonderful,  than  for  the 
Lord  to  cause  an  unlearned  youth  to  read  or  translate  a  book 
which  the  wisdom  of  the  most  wise  and  learned  could  not 
read?    Surely  the  Lord's  ways  are  not  as  our  ways,  and  His 
thoughts  are  not  as  our  thoughts ;    for  the  wisdom  of  the 
world  is  foolishness  in  the  sight  of  Grod  ;  He  bringeth  forth 
by  His  power  the  hidden  things  of  His  wisdom  through  the 
meek,  the  simple  and  the  unlearned,  while  he  rejecteth  the 
wisdom  and  learning  of  men,  because    of   their  pride  and 
highmindedness.       How  marvelous  and  how  wonderful  are 
Thy  doings,  0  Lord  God  Almighty  !     For  Thou  confoundest 
the  wisdom  and  learning  of  men,  that  no  flesh  should  glory 
in  Thy  presence  !     Thou  exaltest  the  meek  and  the  humble, 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  299 

that  they  may  be  taught  of  Thee,  and  know  Thy  ways  !  Glory, 
and  honor,  and  wisdom,  and  power,  and  greatness  of  strength, 
and  excellency  of  understanding  be  unto  the  Lord  our  Grod 
for  evermore  !  Let  all  the  earth  fear  and  honor  His  great 
name,  for  "the  hour  of  His  judgment  is  come,"  and  the 
times  for  the  fulfillment  of  the  great  events  of  the  last  days, 
as  spoken  by  His  servants  the  prophets. 

24. — Isaiah,  in  the  ninth  and  tenth  verses,  has  given  a  fur- 
ther description  of  the  condition  of  all  the  nations,  addressing 
himself  to  them,  he  exclaims — "Stay  yourselves  and  wonder; 
cry  ye  out,  and  cry :  they  are  drunken,  but  not  with  wine ; 
they  stagger,  but  not  with  strong  drink ;  for  the  Lord  hath 
poured  out  upon  you  the  spirit  of  deep  sleep,  and  hath  closed 
your  eyes :  the  prophets  and  your  rulers,  the  seers  hath  He 
covered,  and  the  vision  of  all  is  become  unto  you  as  the  words 
of  a  book  that  is  sealed,"  etc.  Here  we  perceive  the  dark 
and  benighted  condition  of  the  multitude  of  all  the  nations  ; 
at  the  time  "the  words  of  the  book"  should  "speak  out  of 
the  ground"  "the  spirit  of  deep  sleep"  was  to  be  poured  out 
upon  them  ;  they  were  to  be  drunken  and  stagger,  but  not 
with  wine  nor  with  strong  drink ;  the  prophets  and  seers  were 
to  be  covered  from  them  ;  and  "the  vision  of  all,"  that  is, 
the  revelations  of  all  the  holy  prophets  and  seers,  contained 
either  in  the  Bible  or  any  other  place  were  to  become  as  the 
words  of  the  sealed  Book  of  Mormon.  If  they  understood 
"the  vision  of  all"  who  have  spoken  in  past  ages  by  the  spirit 
of  prophecy,  they  would  not  be  "drunken,"  nor  "stagger,"  nor 
be  in  a  "deep  sleep,"  but  all  nations  are  drunken  with  the 
wine  of  the  wrath  of  the  fornication  of  great  Babylon; 
they  see  not  neither  do  they  understand  the  judgments 
which  are  about  to  befall  them.  As  the  learned  Professor 
Anthon  could  not  read  "the  words  of  the  book"  presented  to 
him,  because  it  was  a  sealed  book — a  language  not  understood 
by  the  learned,  so  with  "the  multitude  of  all  the  nations"  in 
regard  to  "the  vision  of  all  the  prophets  and  seers  ;"  they  are 
covered ;  they  are  not  understood  any  more  than  the  words  of 
the  sealed  book  were  understood  by  the  learned.  When  the 
events  of  the  scripture  prophecy  are  so  clearly  fulfilled  before 
their  eyes,  they  will  not  even  then  perceive  it;    when  the 


300  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

wisdom  of  the  wise  and  learned  perishes,  and  "a  marvelous 
work  and  a  wonder"  is  performed  in  causing  the  unlearned  to 
read  the  book,  the  nations  will  not  take  it  to  heart ;  though, 
as  Isaiah  says,  they  will  "stay  themselves  and  wonder,"  and 
"cry  out,  and  cry,"  because  of  the  book  which  "speaks  out 
of  the  ground;"  yet,  because  they  are  drunken  with  every 
species  of  wickedness  and  abominations,  and  because  they 
draw  near  to  the  Lord  with  their  mouths,  and  with  their 
lips,  while  their  hearts  are  removed  far  from  Him,  and  because 
they  are  taught  by  the  precepts  of  men  they  will  reject  it,  and 
in  so  doing,  they  will  reject  the  Lord's  great  and  last  warning 
message  to  man,  and  bring  upon  themselves  swift  destruction. 
Because  they  despise  so  great  a  work,  they  "shall  be  visited," 
as  Isaiah  says,  "with  storm  and  tempest,"  and  "earthquakes," 
"and  the  flame  of  devouring  fire." 

25. — As  another  evidence  that  the  book  of  which  Isaiah 
speaks  was  to  come  forth  in  latter  times,  he  says  in  the  seven- 
teenth verse,  "Is  it  not  yet  a  very  little  while,  and  Lebanon 
shall  be  turned  into  a  fruitful  field,  and  the  fruitful  field  shall 
be  esteemed  as  the  forest?"  18th  verse  :  "And  in  that  day 
shall  the  deaf  hear  the  words  of  the  book,  and  the  eyes  of 
the  blind  shall  see  out  of  obscurity,  and  out  of  darkness. " 
This  book  could  not  mean  the  New  Testament,  for  when  that 
was  written  it  was  about  the  time  that  Lebanon  was  to  be 
forsaken  by  the  Jews  and  become  a  desolation,  a  forest,  or 
wilderness  for  many  generations.  "Upon  the  land  of  my 
people  shall  come  up  thorns  and  briers."  [Isaiah  xxvii^  13. ) 
Hence  the  land  of  Palestine,  which  includes  Lebanon,  was 
when  the  New  Testament  was  written,  about  to  be  cursed. 
But  immediately  after  the  unlearned  should  read  the  book, 
"Lebanon  shall  be  turned  into  a  fruitful  field,  and  the  fruit- 
ful field  shall  be  esteemed  as  the  forest."  The  book,  there- 
fore, that  Isaiah  prophesies  of,  is  to  come  forth  just  before 
the  great  day  of  the  restoration  of  Israel  to  their  own  lands ;  at 
which  time  Lebanon  and  all  the  land  of  Canaan  is  again  to  be 
blessed,  while  the  fruitful  field  occupied  by  the  nations  of  the 
Gentiles,  "will  be  esteemed  as  a  forest;"  the  multitude  of 
the  nations  of  the  Gentiles  are  to  perish,  and  their  lands 
■^hich  are  now  like  a  fruitful  field,  are  to  be  left  desolate  of 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  301 

inhabitants,  and  become  as  Lebanon  has  been  for  many  gen-  . 
erations  past;    while  Lebanon  shall  again    be  occupied    by. 
Israel,  and    be    turned    into  a  fruitful   field.      These  great, 
events  could  not  take  place  until  the  Lord  should  first  bring 
forth  a  book  out  of  the  ground. 

26. — ''''And,  in  that  day^  shall  the  deaf  hear  the  words  of 
the  hook. ' '  This  has  already  been  literally  fulfilled.  Those 
who  were  so  deaf  that  they  could  not  hear  the  loudest  sound, 
have  had  their  ears  opened  to  hear  the  glorious  and  most 
precious  words  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  it  has  been  done 
by  the  power  of  God  and  not  of  man.  '''And  the  eyes  of  the 
blind  shall  see  out  of  obscurity  and  out  of  darkness.^'  This 
has  also  been  literally  fulfilled,  as  abundantly  testified  of  in  the 
fifth  chapter  of  this  series.  ' '  The  meek  also  shall  increase 
their  joy  in  the  LordJ'  Now  during  the  long  night  of  dark- 
ness there  have  been  some,  humble,  meek  persons  who  have 
had  a  degree  of  light ;  but  as  the  church  of  Christ  had  fled 
from  the  earth  there  was  no  one  that  had  authority  to  bap- 
tize or  administer  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  to  those  meek 
persons ;  therefore  their  joy  was  imperfect :  but  Isaiah  says, 
when  the  book  is  revealed,  "the  meek  shall  increase  their 
joy  in  the  Lord."  This  is  what  the  book  is  calculated  to  pro- 
duce ;  for  by  its  contents  the  meek  learn  that  the  time  is  at 
hand  for  them  to  inherit  the  earth,  according  to  the  blessings 
of  our  Savior  on  the  Mount:  "Blessed  are  the  meek,  for 
they  shall  inherit  the  earth. "  This  will  be  fulfilled  after  all 
the  wicked  nations  are  destroyed.  "And  the  poor  among 
men  shall  rejoice  in  the  Holy  One  of  Israel."  This  also  is 
promised  as  a  result  of  the  revelation  of  the  book,  and  the 
means  by  which  it  is  to  be  effected  is  by  a  general  overthrow 
of  the  wicked;  as,  says  Isaiah:  "For  the  terrible  one  is 
brought  to  nought,  and  the  scorner  is  consumed,  and  all  that 
watch  for  iniquity  are  cut  off ;  that  make  a  man  an  offender 
for  a  word,  and  lay  a  snare  for  him  that  reproveth  in  the  gate, 
and  turn  aside  the  just  for  a  thing  of  naught."  0  how 
plainly  it  is  declared  that  judgment  was  soon  to  fall  upon 
all  the  wicked  after  the  appearance  of  this  book— this  mar- 
velous work  and  a  wonder !  And  0  how  plainly  it  is  also 
declared  that  the  deaf,  the'  blind,  the  meek  and  the  poor 
among  men  were  to  be  greatly  benefitted  by  the  book ! 


302  DIVINE  ATTTHENTICrrr 

27. — After  Isaiah  had  foretold  the  great  change  that  was 
to  happen  to  Lebanon,  to  the  deaf,  etc. ,  when  the  book  should 
be  revealed,  he  then  describes  more  particularly  the  great 
benefit  the  book  should  be  to  the  house  of  Jacob.  He  says, 
"Therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord,  who  redeemed  Abraham, 
concerning  the  house  of  Jacob,  Jacob  shall  not  now  be 
ashamed,  neither  shall  his  face  wax  pale.  But  when  he 
seeth  his  children,  the  work  of  mine  hands  in  the  midst  of 
him,  they  shall  sanctify  my  name,  and  sanctify  the  Holy  One 
of  Jacob,  and  shall  fear  the  God  of  Israel."  The  house  of 
Jacob  has  been  made  ashamed,  and  his  face  has  waxed  pale, 
ever  since  he  was  driven  away  from  Lebanon  or  Canaan,  but 
the  Lord  has  now  brought  forth  out  of  the  ground  a  book 
which  shall,  accompanied  by  His  power,  restore  the  tribes  of 
Jacob  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe,  and  establish  them 
n  the  land  of  Palestine  and  Lebanon  forever;  and  His 
holy  name  they  shall  no  more  profane,  but  shall  be  a  righteous 
people  throughout  all  their  generations,  while  the  earth  shall 
stand,  and  they  shall  possess  their  promised  land  again  in 
eternity,  never  more  to  pass  away ;  therefore,  they  shall  never 
again  be  made  ashamed.  It  is  in  vain  for  the  Grentiles  to 
seek  the  conversion  of  Jacob,  and  to  bring  about  their  great 
redemption,  only  in  the  way  that  the  Lord  God  of  Israel 
hath  predicted  and  appointed :  they  may  call  meetings  and 
conventions  to  convert  the  Jews,  but  let  them  know  assuredly 
that  the  book  spoken  of  by  Isaiah  is  to  accomplish  the  sal- 
vation of  the  house  of  Jacob,  and  bring  about  the  restoration 
of  all  Israel,  while  the  Gentiles  who  will  not  receive  it  and  be 
numbered  and  identified  with  the  house  of  Jacob,  must  surely 
perish,  yea,  and  they  shall  be  utterly  wasted  with  storm  and 
tempest,  with  earthquakes  and  famine,  with  the  flame  of 
devouring  fire,  and  their  fruitful  lands  shall  be  esteemed  as  a 
:03re,Nt,  while  Jacob  shall  dwell  in  safety  for  ever. 

28.-  Isaiah  describes  another  event  which  follows  the  reve- 
lation of  the  book :  he  says,  '  'They  also  that  erred  in  spirit, 
shall  come  to  understanding,  and  they  that  murmured  shall 
learn  doctrine"  {verse  24).  The  meek  of  the  earth  who  erred 
in  spirit,  because  "the  fear  of  the  Lord  was  taught  by  the 
precept  of  men"  should  come  to  understanding.      Qh,  how 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  303 

precious  must  be  the  contents  of  a  book  which  shall  deliver 
us  from  all  the  errors  taught  by  the  precepts  of  uninspired 
men !  Oh,  how  gratifying  to  poor,  ignorant,  erring  mortals 
who  have  murmured  because  of  the  multiplicity  of  contra- 
dictory doctrines  that  have  perplexed  and  distracted  their 
minds,  to  read  the  plain,  pure  and  most  precious  word  of 
God,  revealed  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  !  It  is  like  bread  to 
the  hungry — Hke  the  cool  refreshing  fountain  to  him  that  is 
ready  to  perish  with  thirst.  Lift  up  your  heads  ye  meek  of 
the  earth ;  let  the  poor  among  men  rejoice  in  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel ;  let  them  that  have  erred  in  spirit  and  stumbled  in 
judgment,  drink  from  the  fountain  of  understanding ;  let  all 
that  have  murmured  because  of  the  uncertainty  of  the  pre- 
cepts of  men,  read  the  words  of  the  book,  and  they  "shall 
learn  doctrine;"  let  the  humble  and  contrite  in  heart  among 
all  nations  be  exceedingly  glad,  for  the  hour  of  their  redemp- 
tion from  Babylon  is  at  hand  ;  let  all  Israel  praise  the  God  of 
their  fathers  in  songs  of  everlasting  joy ;  for  that  which  He 
spake  by  the  mouth  of  their  prophets,  concerning  their  res- 
toration to  their  lands  is  at  hand  to  be  fulfilled  ;  already  has 
the  book  which  Isaiah  said  should  accomplish  your  restoration 
and  turn  Lebanon  into  a  fruitful  field,  made  its  appearance  ; 
and  it  truly  is  "a  marvelous  work — even  a  marvelous  work 
and  a  wonder!"  Let  Zion  awake  again,  and  put  on  her 
strength  as  in  days  of  old ;  let  the  servants  of  our  God  shout 
praises  unto  the  Holy  One  of  Zion ;  let  them  shout  among 
the  chief  of  the  nations,  and  sing  with  gladness  for  Jacob, 
for  he  shall  come  in  his  appointed  times,  and  none  shall 
hinder.  Lo !  he  shall  come  and  sing  in  the  hight  of  Zion, 
and  the  high  places  of  the  earth  shall  be  glad  for  him,  and 
the  everlasting  hills  shall  tremble  with  joy. 

29.— Ephraim,  the  Lord's  first-born,  shall  be  like  a  mighty 
man,  and  his  heart  shall  rejoice  as  through  new  wine  ;  for  he 
shall  crown  the  tribes  of  Israel  with  glory,  and  his  birth- 
right shall  never  be  wrested  from  his  hand  ;  his  dwellings 
shall  be  in  the  fat  valleys,  and  his  seed  shall  cover  the  hills  ; 
he  shall  put  forth  his  branches  in  all  directions,  and  many  shall 
repose  in  the  shade  thereof;  with  him  is  the  key  of  hidden 
naysteries — the  mysteries  of  ancient  times  ;    he  shall  ualock 


304  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

the  sacred  archives  of  heaven,  and  the  skies  shall  pour  down 
righteousness,  like  rain ;  the  bowels  of  the  earth  shall  open, 
and  shall  disclose  the  wonders  of  ages  unknown.  By  him 
Zion  shall  be  built,  and  her  dwellings  shall  be  encircled  with 
glory ;  her  light  shall  be  as  the  sun,  and  her  beauty  as  the 
morning  ;  her  tabernacles  shall  be  as  the  dwelling  places  of 
the  Most  High,  and  in  her  palaces  kings  shall  arise  and  wor- 
ship ;  her  children  with  one  heart  shall  look  upward,  while 
the  Zion  that  is  above  shall  look  downward  ;  then  the  heavens 
and  tJie  earth  shall  meet,  and  all  the  creations  shall  shake 
with  gladness;  then  the  union  of  all  dispensations  will  be 
completed,  and  the  royal  families  of  heaven  and  earth  will  be 
one  from  henceforth,  even  for  evermore.  This  is  the  blessing 
of  the  children  of  Zion,  and  the  glory  of  Ephraim  the 
Lord's  servants.  The  children  of  Manasseh  shall  assist 
Ephraim,  and  in  all  his  glory  they  shall  be  glorified. 

30. — The  records  of  Manasseh  in  the  hands  of  Ephraim 
shall  gather  out  the  Lord's  elect  from  the  four  winds,  from 
one  end  of  the  earth  to  the  other.  The  Book  of  Mormon  is 
the  record  of  Manasseh  ;  it  is  now  in  the  hands  of  Ephraim, 
who  have  been  for  many  generations,  as  the  Prophet  Hosea 
said,  "mixed  among  the  people."  By  them  will  the  Lord 
"push  the  people  together  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,"  even  by 
the  children  of  Ephraim,  who  is  the  Lord's  first-born  in  this 
great  latter-day  work.  The  American  Indians  are  partly  of 
the  children  of  Manasseh  ;  though  many  of  them  are  of 
Ephraim,  through  the  two  sons  of  Ishmael,  who  came  out  of 
Jerusalem  six  hundred  years  before  Christ,  and  some  of  Judah, 
through  the  loins  of  David  and  the  kings  that  reigned  over 
Jerusalem.  When  Zedekiah,  king  of  Judah  was  carried 
away  captive  into  Babylon,  the  Lord  took  one  of  his  sons, 
whose  name  was  Mulok,  with  a  company  of  those  who  would 
hearken  unto  His  words,  and  brought  them  over  the  ocean, 
and  planted  them  in  America.  This  was  done  in  fulfillment  of 
the  22nd  and  23rd  verses  of  the  seventeenth  chapter  of 
Ezekiel,  which  read  thus:  "Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  will 
also  take  of  the  highest  branch  of  the  high  cedar,  and  will 
set  it :  I  will  cross  off  from  the  top  of  his  young  twigs  a 
TENDER  ONE,  and  will  plant  it  upon  an  high  mountain  and 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  305 

eminent ;  in  the  mountain  of  the  hight  of  Israel  will  I  plant 
it ;  and  it  shall  bring  forth  boughs,  and  bear  fruit  and,  be  a 
goodly  cedar ;  and  under  it  shall  dwell  all  fowl  of  every  wing ; 
in  the  shadow  of  the  branches  thereof  shall  they  dwell." 
By  reading  this  chapter,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Jews  were  the 
"high  cedar,"  that  Zedekiah  the  king  was  the  "highest 
branch,"  that  the  "tender  one"  cropped  off  from  the  top  of 
his  young  twigs,  was  one  of  his  sons,  whom  the  Lord  brought 
out  and  planted  him  and  his  company  upon  the  choice  land 
of  America,  which  He  had  given  unto  a  remnant  of  the  tribe 
of  Joseph  for  an  inheritance,  in  fulfillment  of  the  blessing 
of  Jacob  and  Moses  upon  the  head  of  that  tribe.* 

31. — Jacob  being  a  prophet,  said  unto  his  sons,  "Gather 
yourselves  together,  that  I  may  tell  you  that  which  shall 
befall  you  in  the  last  days."  He  then  commenced  blessing 
them,  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  from  the  oldest  to  the 
youngest.  The  blessing  of  Joseph  was  as  follows :  "Joseph 
is  a  fruitful  bough,  even  a  fruitful  bough  by  a  well,  whose 
branches  run  over    the  wall.  *  *  *  The 

blessings  of  thy  father  have  prevailed  above  the  blessings  of 
my  progenitors,  unto  the  utmost  bound  of  the  everlasting 
hills :  they  shall  be  on  the  head  of  Joseph,  and  on  the  crown 
of  the  head  of  him  that  was  separate  from  his  brethren. " 
( Genesis  xlix. )  Let  the  reader  particularly  notice  this  blessing. 
First,  Joseph  was  to  become  very  numerous:  Second,  his 
branches  were  to  run  over  the  wall :  Third,  he  was  to  receive 
a  blessing  which  was  situated  Jto  the  utmost  bound  of  the 
everlasting  hills  :  Fourth,  Jacob  declares  that  these  blessings 
were  greater  or  above  those  which  his  progenitors  inherited. 
In  the  preceding  chapter,  Jacob  predicts  that  Ephraim  and 
Manasseh,  the  two  sons  of  Joseph,  should  become  a  multitude 
of  nations.  A  multitude  of  nations  would  require  a  large 
country  for  an  inheritance.  No  wonder  then  that  Jacob 
should  prevail  before  the  Lord,  and  obtain  a  greater  blessing 
than  Abraham  and  Isaac ;  for  the  land  of  Canaan  would  be 
altogether  too  small  t(>  accomodate  "the  multitude  of  the 
nations  of  Joseph,"  and  the  other  tribes  too ;    and  Jacob 

*: Genesis  xlviii.,  and  xlix  ;  also  Deuteronomy  xxxiii. 


306  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

foreseeing  this,  sought  for  a  greater  blessing  than  the  land  of 
Palestine,  which  was  conferred  upon  his  progenitors.  This 
greater  blessing  is  represented  to  be  "to  the  utmost  bound  of 
the  everlasting  hills."  The  term  utmost  hound  must  have 
reference  to  the  most  distant  portions  of  the  earth.  The  geo- 
graphical position  of  America  corresponds,  as  to  distance, 
with  the  terms  of  the  prophecy.  The  range  of  mountains 
extending  the  whole  length  of  the  great  western  continent, 
are  the  longest  in  the  whole  world,  and  may  well  be  designated 
by  the  Prophet  Jacob  as  the  everlasting  hills. 

32  —That  Joseph  might  obtain  the  inheritance  which  Jacob 
conferred  upon  him,  ^^his  hranches  run  over  the  wall  f'  that  is, 
they  left  the  main  portion  of  the  hough  and  went  into  some 
other  country.  They  never  could  have  had  room  to  "become 
a  multitude  of  nations"  without  breaking  over  the  wall  or 
boundaries  of  Palestine,  and  seeking  the  great  inheritance 
conferred  upon  them,  among  the  boundaries  of  the  everlasting 
hills  in  America,  which  may  well  be  termed  the  "utmost 
bounds"  or  distance  from  where  the  prophecy  was  uttered. 
On  this  vast  continent,  they  could  spread  forth  and  become 
not  only  a  great  nation  but  "a  multitude  of  nations."  Asia, 
Africa  and  Europe  are  occupied  principally  by  the  Gentiles, 
and  by  nations  who  are  not  the  descendants  of  Joseph.  As 
the  prophecy  has  not  been  fulfilled  on  the  eastern  hemisphere, 
the  western  hemisphere  is  the  only  part  of  our  globe  where  it 
could  be  fulfilled.  If  we  cannot  find  the  multitude  of  the 
nations  of  Joseph  in  America,  we  cannot  find  them  anywhere. 
But  in  America  we  truly  do  find  several  hundred  nations  of 
people,  who  do  not  exhibit  that  diversity  of  character  which 
we  find  distinguishing  the  nations  of  the  eastern  world.  Their 
color,  their  features,  their  general  physiognomy,  their  tra- 
ditions, their  manners  and  customs,  their  dialects,  their  gen- 
eral characteristics  of  mind,  and  modes  of  living,  all  proclaim 
that  they  are  descended  from  one  common  origin.  While 
their  religious  worship,  their  belief  in  one  God,  their  compu- 
tation of  time,  by  the  ceremonies  of  the  new  moon,  their  hav- 
ing an  Ark  of  the  covenant,  their  erection  of  a  temple  similar 
to  the  Jewish  temple,  their  erection  of  altars,  their  divisions 
of  the  year  into  four  seasons,  corresponding  to  the  Jewisl:^ 


Ot*  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  307 

festivals,  their  laws  of  sacrifices,  their  ablutions  and  marriages, 
their  places  of  refuge,  their  manner  of  conducting  war,  their 
abstaining  from  eating  certain  things  forbidden  by  the  laws  of 
Moses,  and  the  numerous  affinities  of  their  language  to  the 
Hebrew,  all  testify  loudly  that  they  are  of  Israelitish  origin. 
Grreat  numbers  of  writers,  during  two  or  three  of  the  last  cen- 
turies, have  believed  them  to  be  Israelites,  and  have  generally 
supposed  them  to  be  the  nine  and  a-half  lost  tribes.  But 
their  history  has  spoken  "out  of  the  ground,"  by  which  we 
learn  that  they  are,  ind3ed,  Israel,  but  not  the  nine  and  a-half 
tribes ;  they  are  only  a  small  remnant  of  one  tribe,  namely,  of 
Joseph,  among  whom  some  of  the  tribe  of  Judah  are  mingled, 
through  the  royal  seed  of  David. 

33. — Moses,  when  blessing  the  tribes  of  Israel,  by  the  spirit 
of  prophecy,  speaks  in  a  very  particular  manner  of  the  land 
of  Joseph.  And  of  Joseph,  he  said,  "Blessed  of  the  Lord 
be  his  land  for  the  precious  things  of  heaven,  for  the  dew,  and 
for  the  deep  that  coutcheth  beneath,  and  for  the  precious 
fruits  brought  forth  by  the  sun,  and  for  the  precious  things 
put  forth  by  the  moon,  and  for  the  chief  things  of  the  ancient 
mountains,  and  for  the  precious  things  of  the  lasting  hills,  and 
for  the  precious  things  of  the  earth,  and  fullness  thereof,  and 
for  the  good- will  of  him  that  dwelt  in  the  bush :  let  the  bles- 
sing come  upon  the  head  of  Joseph,  and  upon  the  top  of  the 
head  of  him  that  was  separated  from  his  brethren.  His  glory 
is  like  the  firstling  of  his  bullock,  and  his  horns  are  like  the 
horns  of  unicorns:  with  them  he  shall  push  the  people 
together  to  the  ends  of  the  earth ;  and  they  are  the  ten  thou- 
sands of  Ephraim,  and  they  are  the  thousands  of  Manasseh.  "* 
From  this  we  learn  that  Joseph  was  not  only  to  inherit  a  land 
greater  than  the  rest  of  the  tribes,  but  that  his  land  was  to  be 
peculiarly  blessed.  Am  erica  fulfills  the  terms  of  the  prophecy 
in  every  minute'particular ;  among  other  favors,  his  land  was 
to  be  blessed  "with  the  precious  things  of  heaven." 
This  blessing  was  of  more  importance  than  all  the  others ; 
hence  Moses  places  it  first  in  the  list  of  good  things  that  were 
to  be  given  to  Joseph. 


-Deuteronomy  xxxiii. 


308  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

34. — If  the  seed  of  Joseph  were  not  to  inherit  another  land 
separate,  and  at  a  distance  from,  Canaan,  all  these  blessings 
would  be  without  any  meaning.  If  the  land  spoken  of  only 
meant  his  inheritance,  joining  the  other  tribes,  why  should 
Moses  designate  such  great  blessings  upon  it,  and  forget  to  say 
anything  in  reference  to  the  particular  blessings  of  the  adjoining 
lands?  The  land  of  Joseph,  in  Palestine,  seems  to  be  about 
the  same  as  the  lands  of  his  brethren ;  no  great  peculiarities 
seem  to  distinguish  it  from  the  other  inheritances ;  therefore, 
the  very  fact  that  Moses  speaks  so  definitely  in  his  blessings 
upon  tribes,  about  the  land  ofjjseph,  and  enumerates  its  bles- 
sings, while  he  is  nearly  silent  about  the  others'  lands,  shows, 
most  conclusively,  that  the  land  of  Joseph  was  to  be  in  some 
other  country.  And  as  he  speaks  of  "the  chief  things  of  the 
ancient  mountains,  and  the  precious  things  of  the  lasting 
hills,"  he  must  have  reference  to  the  same  "everlasting  hills," 
which  Jacob  gives  to  Joseph,  that  are  said  to  be  at  the 
"utmost  bounds."  It  was  in  this  choice  land,  where  the  pre- 
cious things  of  heaven' '  were  to  be  unfolded  to  the  multitude 
of  the  nations  of  Joseph. 

35. — As  all  the  tribes  of  Israel  understood  the  art  of  writing, 
it  is  to  be  expected  that  they  would  keep  a  record  or  history 
of  their  nations  in  whatever  part  of  the  earth  they  might  be 
located.  When  the  ten  tribes  revolted,  there  were  many  pro- 
phets raised  up  among  them  from  time  to  time,  who  wrote 
their  prophecies  as  well  as  the  prophets  of  Judah.  If  the 
Lord  did  continue  to  send  prophets,  as  Elijah,  Elisha  and 
many  others,  among  the  ten  tribes  after  their  revolt,  why  not 
raise  up  prophets  among  the  multitude  of  the  nations  of  Joseph, 
after  their  separation  from  Judah?  We  cannot  for  a  moment 
believe  that  a  multitude  of  the  nations  of  Joseph  would  be  left 
destitute  of  the  warning  voice  of  prophecy.  It  would  be 
entirely  contrary  to  the  dealings  of  Grod  with  both  Israel  and 
Judah.  If  the  nations  of  Joseph  understood  the  art  of  writ- 
ing, and  were  to  have  "the  precious  things  of  heaven  revealed 
to  them,"  they  would  certainly  write  them,  not  only  for  the 
benefit  of  themselves,  but  for  the  benefit  of  future  generations. 
This  they  did ;  and  the  Lord  Grod  of  their  fathers  has  now 
brought  their  history,  their  prophecies,  their  doctrines  and 


OP  THE  BOOK  OP  MORMON.  309 

their  precious  revelations  from  heaven  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
pfeople.  The  prophets,  the  seers  and  the  revelators  of  the 
nations  of  Joseph  have  spoken  "out  of  the  ground,  and  their 
speech  is  low  out  of  the  dust,"  and  their  writings  are  now 
joined  together  with  the  Bible,  which  contains  the  writings  of 
Judah,  and  they  have  become  one  in  their  testimony,  declaring 
that  the  time  is  at  hand  for  the  restoration  of  the  whole  house 
of  Israel  to  their  own  lands. 

36. — We  have  already  shown  from  Isaiah  that  the  house  of 
Jacob  never  could  be  restored,  until  God  should  bring  forth  a 
hooh^  and  that,  too,  "out  of  the  ground;  "  and,  until  the  deaf 
should  hear  the  words  of  it.  It  will  next  be  shown  from  the 
testimony  of  Ezekiel,  that  the  book  which  is  to  perform  so 
great  a  work  for  Israel,  was  really  and  truly  to  be  a  record  of 
Joseph.  Ezekiel  says  [xxxvii) :  "The  Word  of  the  Lord 
came  again  unto  me,  saying,  Moreover,  thou  son  of  man,  take 
thee  one  stick,  and  write  upon  it,  for  Judah,  and  for  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  his  companions ;  then  take  another  stick,  and 
write  upon  it,  for  Joseph  the  stick  of  Ephraim,  and  for  all  the 
house  of  Israel,  his  compaions:  and  join  them  one  to  another 
into  one  stick,  and  they  shall  become  one  in  thine  hand.  And 
when  the  children  of  thy  people  shall  speak  unto  thee,  saying, 
Wilt  thou  not  show  us  what  thou  meanest  by  these?  Say  unto 
them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Grod,  Behold  I  will  take  the  stick 
of  Joseph  which  is  [shall  be]  in  the  hand  of  Ephraim,  and  the 
tribes  of  Israel  his  fellows,  and  will  put  them  with  him,  even 
with  the  stick  of  Judah,  and  make  them  one  stick,  and  they 
shall  be  one  in  mine  hand.  And  the  stick  whereon  thou  writ- 
est  shall  be  in  thine  hand  before  their  eyes." 

37. — It  was  customary  in  ancient  times  to  write  upon  parch- 
ment, and  roll  the  same  upon  sticks,  and  such  reading-sticks  or 
rolls  were  called  hoohs.  All  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah,  from 
the  days  of  Josiah  down  to  the  fourth  year  of  Jehoikim  were 
written  in  one  of  these  rolls  [Jeremiah  xxxvi.  1,2).  This 
"roll"  of  the  writings  of  Jeremiah,  is  called  a  "book"  in  the 
8th,  10th,  11th  and  13th  verses:  hence,  the  terms  ro??  and  5oofe 
are  synonymous.  If  then,  a  reading-stick  or  roll,  containing 
writings,  is  called  a  "book"  we  can  all  understand  the  meaning 
of  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  Ezekiel :  it  was  a  clear  and  beau- 


310  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

tiful  representation  of  the  'union  of  the  books  itl  the  hand 
of  the  Lord.  Ezekiel  was  commanded  first,  to  lorite  upon  one 
stick,  "for  Judah  and  for  the  children  of  Israel,  his  compan- 
ions." This  was  a  representation  of  the  Bible  which  is  the 
record  of  Judah.  "Then  take  another  stick,  and  write  upon 
it,  for  Joseph,  the  stick  of  Ephraim,  and  for  all  the  house  of 
Israel,  his  companions. ' '  This  was  a  representation  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  which  is  the  record  of  Joseph  written  in 
ancient  America.  "And  join  them  one  to  another  into  one 
stick,  and  they  shall  become  one  in  thine  hand."  This  was  a 
representation  of  the  union  of  the  records  of  the  two  nations. 
In  the  interpretation  of  the  meaning  of  the  two  sticks,  the 
Lord  says  that  He  Himself  "will  take  the  stick  of  Joseph" 
and  put  it  "with  the  stick  of  Judah."  Therefore,  we  learn  by 
this  that  the  stick  of  Joseph  was  not  found  united  with  the 
stick  of  Judah  by  accident,  but  it  was  a  work  which  the  Lord 
Himself  should  perform.  Hence,  He  further  says,  "They  shall 
be  one  in  mine  hand. ' '  Therefore,  the  two  writings  becoming 
one  in  Ezekiel' s  hand,  was  a  most  beautiful  representation  of 
the  two  writings  which  should  become  one  in  the  Lord's 
hand. 

38. — Having  learned  by  Ezekiel  that  the  Lord  Grod  will  take 
the  stick  of  Joseph,  and  put  it  with  the  stick  of  Judah,  and 
make  them  one  in  His  hand ;  let  us  next  inquire,  what  events 
are  to  follow  the  union  of  these  two  writings.  The  Lord  fur- 
ther declares,  "And  the  stick  whereon  thou  writest  shall  be  in 
thine  hand  before  their  eyes.  And  say  unto  them,  Thus  saith 
the  Lord  Grod,  Behold,  I  will  take  the  children  of  Israel  from 
among  the  heathen,  whither  they  be  gone,  and  will  gather  them 
on  every  side,  and  bring  them  into  their  own  land  ;  and  I  will 
make  them  one  nation  in  the  land  upon  the  mountains  of 
Israel;  and  one  king  shall  be  king  to  them  all;  and  they  shall 
be  no  more  two  nations,  neither  shall  they  be  divided  into  two 
kingdoms  any  more  at  all :  neither  shall  they  defile  themselves 
any  more  with  their  idols,  nor  with  their  detestable  things,  nor 
with  any  of  their  transgressions  ;  but  I  will  save  them  out  of 
all  their  dwelling  places,  wherein  they  have  sinned,  and  will 
cleanse  them :  so  shall  they  be  my  people  and  I  will  be  their 
God."    We  learn  from  this,  that  the  great  object  the  Lord  has 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  311 

in  view,  in  bringing  forth  the  book  of  Joseph,  and  uniting  it 
with  the  Bible,  is  to  gather  Israel  never  more  to  be  scattered. 
Thus  we  see  that  both  Tsaiah  and  Ezekiel  have  spoken  of  the 
same  great  and  marvelous  events ;  one  declares  that  the  house 
of  Jacob  should  never  again  "wax  pale"  or  "be  made 
ashamed"  in  the  day  that  a  certain  book  should  make  its 
appearance ;  the  other  declares,  that  the  whole  house  of  Israel 
should  be  restored  to  its  own  lands,  and  should  never  again 
be  divided  into  two  nations,  in  the  day  that  the  Lord  should 
put  the  writings  of  Joseph  with  the  writings  of  Judah.  Take 
the  testimony  of  Tsaiah  and  Ezekiel  in  connection  with  the 
testimony  of  Moses,  concerning  the  "precious  things  of 
heaven,"  which  should  be  given  on  the  land  of  Joseph,  and 
join  this  with  the  testimony  of  John  concerning  the  restoration 
of  the  gospel  by  an  angel,  and  the  testimony  of  Daniel  con- 
cerning the  stone  cut  from  themountains  without  hands,  repre- 
senting the  latter-day  kingdom  of  God,  and  we  have  by  a  com- 
bination of  all  these  testimonies,  prophetic  evidences  of  the 
divine  authenticity  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  which  should  con- 
vince the  most  incredulous,  and  destroy  atheism  out  of  exist- 
ence. 

89.— Let  us  now  hear  what  the  Lord  has  said  to  David  in 
relation  to  the  salvation  of  Israel.  David  saw  the  long  cap- 
tivity of  Jacob,  and  prayed  earnestly  that  the  Lord  would  show 
mercy  to  them.  He  prays  thus:  "Turn  us,  0  Grod  of  our 
salvation,  and  cause  thine  anger  towards  us  to  cease.  Wilt  thou 
be  angry  with  us  forever?  Wilt  thou  draw  out  thine  anger  to  all 
generations?  Wilt  thou  not  revive  us  again,  that  thy  people 
may  rejoice  in  thee?  Shew  us  thy  mercy,  0  Lord,  and  grant 
us  thy  salvation. ' '  *  After  he  had  thus  prayed  for  Israel  whom 
he  saw  in  a  long  captivity,  he  then  says,  "I  will  hear  what  Grod 
the  Lord  will  speak :  for  He  will  speak  peace  unto  His  people, 
and  to  His  saints ;  but  let  them  not  turn  again  to  folly. ' '  From 
this  we  perceive,  that  notwithstanding  the  Lord  has  been  angry 
with  Jacob  for  many  generations,  yet.  He  will  again  "speak" 
to  them.    But  let  us  read  the  following  verses,  that  we  may 


Psalm  Ixxxv. 

13* 


312  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY 

learn  in  what  manner  He  will  "speak  peace."  "Mercy  and 
truth  are  met  together,  righteousness  and  peace  have  kissed 
each  other.  Truth  shall  spring  out  of  the  earth  ;  and 
righteousness  shall  look  down  from  heaven.  Yea,  the  Lord 
shall  give  that  which  is  good ;  and  our  land  shall  yield  her 
increase.  Righteousness  shall  go  before  Him,  and  shall  set  us  in 
the  way  of  His  steps."  0,  what  a  glorious  answer  David 
received  to  his  prayer  of  captive  Israel.  He  learned  that  the 
Lord  would  "speak  peace"  to  them  by  causing  "Truth  to 
spring  out  of  the  earth,"  and  then,  and  not  till  then,  "Right- 
eousness should  look  down  from  heaven"  in  behalf  of  captive 
Israel ;  then  he  learned  that  the  land  of  Israel  should  again 
"yield  her  increase,"  because  "the  Lord  should  give  that  which 
is  good. ' '  This  agrees  with  what  we  have  already  quoted  from 
Isaiah  :  so  that  both  David  and  Isaiah  saw  how  Israel  were  to 
be  delivered.  One  says  it  shall  be  by  truth  and  righteousness, 
combining  together,  truth  coming  out  of  the  earth  and  righteous- 
ness at  the  same  time  looking  down  from  heaven;  while  the  other 
declares  that  Israel  should  "speak  out  of  the  ground,"  after 
which,  Jacob  should  no  longer  be  made  ashamed.  David  says, 
that  after  "tru£h  springs  out  of  the  earth,"  the  land  of  Israel 
"should  yield  its  increase."  Isaiah  says,  that  in  the  day  that 
the  marvelous  work  and  a  wonder  is  accomplished,  then 
"Lebanon  shall  be  turned  into  a  fruitful  field,"  "and  the  deaf 
shall  hear  the  words  of  the  book."  David  says,  that  then  is 
the  time,  that  "righteousness  shall  go  before  Him,  and  shall  set 
us  in  the  way  of  His  steps."  Isaiah  says,  "That  the  book 
shall  cause  those  who  erred  in  spirit  to  come  to  understanding. " 
Every  event  concerning  this  latter-day  work  in  behalf  of  Israel, 
which  David  describes  in  his  Psalm,  is  also  described  by  Isaiah; 
the  latter  gives  many  particulars,  however,  which  the  former 
does  not. 

Isaiah  must  have  had  reference  to  the  same  marvelous  event, 
when  he  exclaims,  "Drop  down,  ye  heavens,  from  above, 
and  let  the  skies  pour  down  righteousness;  let  the  earth  open, 
and  let  them  bring  forth  salvation,  and  let  righteousness  spring 
up  together:  I,  the  Lord,  have  created  it."  * 


-Isaiah  xlv.  8. 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON.  313 

40. — Never  was  there  a  work  more  clearly  predicted  than  the 
great  and  marvelous  work  for  the  restitution  of  Israel ;  and 
never  had  mankind  more  prophetic  evidences  in  confirmation 
of  a  revelation,  than  they  have  for  the  Book  of  Mormon.  None 
of  the  books  of  the  Old  or  New  Testaments  were  prophesied 
of  before  they  were  revealed,  whereas  this  great  revelation  of 
the  last  days  has  been  clearly  predicted  by  many  of  the  inspired 
writers.  In  this  respect,  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  confirmed  by 
testimony  to  this  generation,  such  as  no  other  prophets  could 
bring  forward  to  establish  their  books  in  the  day  that  they  were 
given. 

41. — And  I  now  bear  my  humble  testimony  to  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth  who  shall  read  this  series  of  pamplets,  that  the 
Book  of  Mormon  is  a  divine  revelation,  for  the  voice  of  the 
Lord  hath  declared  it  unto  me.  And  having  been  commanded 
of  the  Lord,  in  His  name,  1  humbly  warn  all  mankind  to 
repent  of  all  their  sins,  to  turn  away  from  all  their  false  doc- 
trines, and  to  forsake  the  precepts  of  uninspired  men.  Yea, 
come  forth  with  meek,  humble  and  contrite  hearts,  and  be 
immersed  in  water  for  the  remission  of  your  sins,  and  you  shall 
receive  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the 
Apostles  or  Elders  of  this  Church;  and  signs  shall  follow  them 
that  believe,  as  they  did  the  believers  in  times  of  old ;  and  all 
people,  nations  and  tongues,  who  will  not  do  this,  shall  be 
damned,  and  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  Grod, 
for  this  message  shall  condemn  them  at  the  last  day.  Kepent, 
therefore,  all  ye  ends  of  the  earth,  for  the  great  day  of  the 
Lord  is  at  hand  ;  the  sword  of  the  justice  of  the  Eternal  Grod 
will  soon  fall  upon  you  except  ye  repent.  Repent,  0,  ye  kings 
and  queens  of  the  earth,  for  the  day  of  the  Lord's  controversy 
with  the  nations  has  come ;  and  thrones  shall  be  cast  down, 
and  your  kingdom  shall  be  rent  asunder,  and  there  shall  be  no 
safety  for  you,  unless  you  repent.  Let  the  lords,  and  nobles, 
and  all  those  in  high  places,  repent,  for  calamity  shall  come 
from  all  quarters  like  a  whirlwind ;  fear  and  terror  shall  encom- 
pass you  round  about,  and  there  shall  be  no  place  of  refuge  for 
you  in  the  day  of  the  Lord's  fierce  vengeance  upon  Babylon. 
Woe  unto  you,  ye  rich  men,  who  trade  and  traffic  among  the 
nations,  and  who  have  heaped  up  gold  and  silver  as  the  dust, 


314  DIVINE  AUTHENTICITY. 

for  except  you  repent,  your  riches  shall  be  despoiled,  your  trade 
and  traffic  shall  cease,  and  ye  shall  howl  for  the  miseries  that 
shall  come  upon  you :  repent,  therefore,  and  gather  up  your 
riches,  and  flee  out  from  among  the  nations,  and  carry  your 
gold  and  silver  with  you  unto  the  place  of  the  name  of  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  the  Mount  Zion,  and  make  use  of  your  riches 
as  the  Lord  shall  direct  to  beautify  the  place  of  the  Lord's 
sanctuary,  otherwise  ye  shall  perish  with  your  riches.  Let  all 
the  bishops,  and  clergy,  and  priests  of  every  denomination 
repent  and  cease  to  preach  false  doctrines,  and  let  them  be  bap- 
tized and  come  into  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  seek  no  more  to 
fight  against  the  Lord's  work,  for  unless  they  do  this,  the  Lord 
shall  visit  them  in  swift  judgment,  and  they  shall  perish 
quickly  out  of  the  earth ;  for  they  are  the  ones  that  have  cor- 
rupted the  earth  with  their  false,  vain,  foolish  and  powerless 
doctrines ;  they  are  the  ones  who  have  blinded  the  eyes  and 
hardened  the  hearts  against  the  Lord's  great  and  last  message; 
therefore,  except  they  repent,  there  is  in  reserve  for  them  a 
heavier  judgment,  and  they  shall  gnaw  their  tongues  for  pain. 
Repent,  all  ye  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  lest  the  Lord  shall 
smite  you  with  the  rod  of  His  mouth,  and  with  the  breath  of 
His  lips  consume  you  as  stubble.  Let  all  Israel  repent,  and 
turn  unto  the  Lord,  and  gather  themselves  together,  for  the 
time  of  the  fulfilling  of  the  covenant,  made  with  your  f  ithers, 
is  at  hand — the  time  when  all  things  are  to  be  restored  that 
have  been  spoken  by  the  mouth  of  all  the  holy  prophets  since 
the  world  began — the  time  when  the  kingdom  is  to  be  restored 
to  Israel,  and  the  Lord  God  of  their  fathers  is  to  reign  over 
them  in  power,  might,  majesty  and  in  great  glory  from  thence- 
forth even  forexeriaaDie-  - 

^^0^  THE        ^ 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED. 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subjert  to  immediate  recall. 


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